Boys of Fall
by Cullen Confection
Summary: "They didn't let just anybody in that club, To get to wear those game day jerseys down the hall, Kings of the school, We're the boys of fall."  The guys are HS football players while Edward dreams of his future that includes more than football. AH Can OOC
1. The Boys of Fall

**Author's Note:** This was inspired by the song The Boys of Fall by Kenny Chesney. This is the first story I have ever written. I would like to thank my beta, Cullen Concession, my prereader, LasVegas TowGirls, and cheerleader, BitteninCa, for making the story better and convincing me to finally publish.

**Disclaimer: **Stephenie Meyer owns the characters and Kenny Chesney owns the song and lyrics.

**The Boys of Fall**

**By Kenny Chesney**

When I feel that chill, smell that fresh cut grass  
I'm back in my helmet, cleats and shoulder pads  
Standing in the huddle listening to the call  
Fans going crazy for the boys of fall  
They didn't let just anybody in that club  
Took every ounce of heart and sweat and blood  
To get to wear those game day jerseys down the hall  
Kings of the school man, we're the boys of fall

(Chorus:)  
Well it's turn and face the Stars and Stripes  
It's fighting back them butterflies  
It's call it in the air, alright yes sir we want the ball  
And it's knocking heads and talking trash  
It's slinging mud and dirt and grass  
It's I got your number, I got your back when your back's against the wall  
You mess with one man you got us all  
The boys of fall

In little towns like mine that's all they got  
Newspaper clippings fill the coffee shops  
The old men will always think they know it all  
Young girls will dream about the boys of fall

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**Chapter 1 The Boys of Fall**

My hands slid under her thighs and lifted her higher on my back. When her ankles locked in front of me, I could feel myself harden. I slowly moved my hands to her ass cheeks to hold her tighter to my body and move her even higher. She was so light but I could feel her all along my back- every curve and every inch of warmth. Her left hand gripped my shoulder and she pulled herself closer and higher to the point I could feel her breath on my neck. Her nose barely skimmed my hairline and I felt her take a deep breath and inhale my scent. I felt like my world was exploding as I felt her lips in a light kiss behind my right ear. Her right hand gripped my bicep to hold herself steady and pull herself closer. I could hear and feel every movement she made. Letting my senses take over, I could smell coconut and the ocean and I wanted to bury my face in her hair. My skin was tingling from where we were in contact. I started to turn my head but she stopped me when she gently nibbled and licked my ear. I had a feeling that our time together was ending and I had to know who she was. I needed to know who could make my body and mind feel so alive. Her long brown hair swung forward and I could see the natural red highlights in it, as the sun appeared to be shining a spotlight on her. As I turned my head to look into her eyes, I woke up.

Damn it, not again. I had dreamed of the dark haired beauty again. The dreams had gotten more intimate over the past year but it had been a few months since I had the last one. And this couldn't happen at a worse time. Football camp in June and it was hot, I was in a room full of guys, and I was hard. Fuck my life.

Actually, I had a pretty good life and shouldn't complain. I had two best friends, I made good grades, played sports, had a great family, and money when I needed it. I know I had it better than a lot of kids but getting out of this mess without being caught was going take some strategy. So I made myself think of things to make my hard on go away. Grandpa showing me why briefs are better than boxers, catching Grandma in the shower when I was nine, the team discovering my problem - instant boner be gone. I wanted, no I needed to think about my dream and figure out if I had learned any new information about my dream girl but if I wanted to get out of bed, I had to steer clear of that line of thought.

So with a new mindset to get the day going since I was awake, I pushed off the bed and decided to go ahead and sound the alarm in the dorm room to wake the rest of the team. We had things to do and asses to kick instead of sleep. Since our freshman year, the team had been rebuilding its reputation after about ten seasons of bad playing and coaching. It's now our senior year and with me as the quarterback, Emmett my offensive guard, and Jasper my wide receiver, we were made of win. We wanted to be undefeated this season. With our new stats, we were able to qualify for the most sought after football camp in Washington. We had been selected to attend this camp to practice with a professional team and their coaches. Which lead us here -in the dorm rooms for two weeks at the University of Washington in Seattle. And when we returned home, we would be seniors and this was going to be our year. We were going to be the boys of fall.


	2. Keg in the Closet

**Author's Note:** This was inspired by the song The Boys of Fall by Kenny Chesney. Many thanks to my beta, Cullen Concession, my prereader, LasVegas TowGirls, and Veracusin Fanfiction for all their help and support.

**Disclaimer: **Stephenie Meyer owns the characters and Kenny Chesney owns the song and lyrics.

* * *

**Chapter 2 Keg in the Closet**

Since this was the first official day of camp and we didn't have to be on the field until nine thirty in the morning, I looked around to see if my buddies were awake. In the first bed was the friend I've had the longest. I met Emmett McCarty at the playground when we were both about three years old. We became inseparable when we started school two years later. We've been best friends ever since that first day of kindergarten.

Jasper Whitlock was in the other bed. His family moved to Forks from Texas when we were in the fourth grade. Jasper was the complete opposite of Emmett. While Emmett was loud, obnoxious and cheerful; Jasper was laidback, a good listener and had the ability to calm you with his presence. I could say, I was the thinker and the planner of our group.

Each school was only able to send twelve players to the Camp so all the players from each school had a suite of dorm rooms. The suite had a total of four bedrooms and two baths along with a small common area in the middle. There were two bedrooms and one bath on either side of the common room. Each bedroom had three beds. It was a little cramped but it was only for two weeks. Of course, Emmett, Jasper, and I were sharing a room.

I decided to have a little payback to Emmett for all the pranks he had pulled since we were five years old. There was no way I could ever forget the jello incident or the rubber band wars. I knew he had one of those obnoxious air horns in his bag, so I went looking for it.

I almost regretted that decision immediately. Emmett was not the most organized person, nor was he the cleanest. The first thing I pulled out of the bag was an opened bag of Cheetos. What the hell? Now I had that clingy crumby orange shit all over my fingers. Plus, they were falling out all over the place, but that was his problem not mine.

Sticking my hand further down, I felt like Nicholas Cage in _National Treasure 2_ when he stuck his hand in the rocks. I didn't know what I might find in there. My heart rate actually sped up as I stuck my hand back in. I finally reached the bottom of the bag and after finding his deodorant, shaving cream, and a tube of something I didn't look to close at, I had the air horn.

I knew that the horn would be loud enough to be heard in the entire suite even blowing it in our room. Without wasting any more time, I walked back into our bedroom and blasted the horn three times. I really wished I had thought to video this. The sight of Emmett jumping straight up out of his bed then getting tangled in the sheets and tumbling head over ass off the bed onto the floor was more than I could handle. I was literally doubled over laughing so hard.

Jasper looked like he wasn't sure what to do - be pissed at being woken up by an air horn, laugh at Emmett, or go back to sleep. Laughing at Emmett finally won out and we were both laughing so hard our sides were hurting.

"Eddie, you will pay for that! What did you do you, pansy ass; wrap my feet up in the sheets? Did you touch me while I was sleeping? You know I don't float that way. Where the hell is the end of this sheet?" Emmett shouted as he tried to untangle his feet from the covers. "Jasper Whitlock, get your ass over here and help get my ass off the floor so I can wipe it with Eddie!"

I was in too good of a mood to even comment on the Eddie or the question about touching him. Like I would touch his gross ass. I shuddered just thinking about it. I wasn't a player but I wasn't innocent and I wasn't gay. My name was Edward Cullen, not Ed, and definitely not Eddie.

"Yeah, well you guys want to sleep in and that's not what we're here for. So get moving." I smirked back as I grabbed my stuff out of my duffle bag and headed out to the bathroom to be first in line for a shower.

The rest of the guys were mumbling and swearing but at least they were up. Eric, Tyler, and Mike were in the room next to ours and I could hear them blaming Emmett for the rude awakening. They were even planning a surprise blitz for him on the field. I didn't even think twice about correcting them. This was just going to get better and better. Of course, I would probably pay for it later on but it was all for fun.

I walked into the bath and turned the shower on. The water felt great as it pounded on my back and released the last bit of tension I had carried over from my dream. I leaned my head back into the water and reached for my shampoo- not any of that fancy smelling crap but just clean ole Irish Spring.

However, when I flipped the lid, I thought I was dreaming – all I could smell was suntan lotion. Damn. I had packed the wrong bottle and the smell was close enough to my dream that I now had another problem. I really didn't have time for this. Rubbing one out in the shower, while somebody was waiting in line for it just wasn't my style.

Looking closer at the bottle, I realized it was shampoo but not mine. I must have packed my twin sister, Alice's, bottle instead of mine. We had a Jack and Jill bath between our rooms at home, so we had to share. It's not her usual brand so she must be trying something new. Bad timing for me. Oh well, soap would have to do for the hair this morning but the other situation was a little harder – ha ha – to take care of.

For a brief moment, I let my mind wander and thought about the new things I had learned about my mystery dream girl. She was petite, her hand was so small on my arm, and she was light. Was I dreaming of an actual person I had seen and had not consciously noticed? Or was I making up my version of the perfect girl? I hope that it was the former.

Nothing I could do about it now, though, so I brought out my litany of things to help my problem. I imagined mom's 63-year-old cousin, Carolyn, coming out in her nightgown with no underwear and no bra. Problem solved.

I quickly finished up in the shower and dried off. I wrapped the towel around my waist and went back out to finish getting dressed. I thought Mike was going to knock me down to get to the toilet.

"Mike, remember your mama isn't here so if you piss on the floor you better wipe it up!"

"Yeah, well if Emmett had of just knocked on the door to wake everybody then I wouldn't be in such a rush man. That horn scared the piss out of me!" Mike grouched back.

I just laughed as I made my way into our room and went into the closet to dress. Simple shorts and a t-shirt was all I needed since we would be changing into uniforms once we reached the field. Jasper was already dressed. Emmett was still mumbling about me. I just laughed it off.

"I'm heading down for breakfast. You want to go, J?"

"Yeah just give me two and I'll be ready," Jasper answered.

"Wait, what about me? Just hold up. You know I can't do anything until I've had some food. Can't even think…" complained Emmett.

"Oh just shut up man and get dressed unless you plan to wear that sheet like a toga?" I interrupted.

Jasper had grabbed everything he needed so we went out to the common area to wait on Emmett. Mike and Tyler were already there, talking with James and Laurent. They were discussing the plans to get back at Emmett for the air horn alarm. Jasper glanced at me but didn't say a word. He, too, had been on receiving end of too many pranks to stop this.

"What's everybody waiting on? We need to get a move on…" Emmett rushed out acting as if we hadn't been waiting on his slow ass. This just caused the guys to grumble a little more. Garrett came out of his room and joined the group to head down to breakfast. The rest of the guys would meet us there.

We all separated at the cafeteria to get our preferred breakfast and then migrated to a table in the front of the room. These two weeks were football camp but the coaches and counselors wanted it to also be "bonding time" for the team. While we were encouraged to meet everyone at the camp and make new friends; they also wanted us to get to know our teammates better, that was the main priority.

We had all arrived late yesterday evening for orientation and a BBQ supper. Orientation was basic and we were reminded we were underage and that the counselors were on the same hall and would do room checks. We had learned from a couple of guys that had been here last year that things were not monitored closely. As long as everything was done in moderation, there was a lesser chance to be caught.

Emmett was especially happy to hear this, as he was planning how to get a keg in our closet already. The coaches were on the first floor of the dorm and would be able to monitor who came and went from our rooms. All the players had to be at least sixteen to attend and our parents went through several meetings with them signing waivers and knowledge that we would have adult chaperones present on the campus but they would not be with us at all times.

By the time we started to eat, the rest of our guys were entering the room. Felix and Demetri led the group and Eric and Eleazar followed behind them. Emmett's mouth dropped open, however, with what was behind them. It was a surprise for all us. The room went from a dull roar of over a hundred voices to complete silence.

The sound of teenage boys in awe was silence followed by expletives.

"Damn."

"Holy Shit."

"Fuck."

Followed by Emmett yelling out, "Hell Yeah!"

Then everyone broke out into conversation again.

Behind Eric and Eleazar were girls. Hot, good looking, girls who were cheerleaders in short skirts. It looked like about every ten girls had on the same colored uniform. The university must also be sponsoring a cheerleading camp. It looked like the next two weeks just got a brighter outlook.

I looked over at Emmett and he still had not stopped looking at one of the girls in the front of the group. Now, I could admit she was good looking and exactly Emmett's type. She was tall, had silky long blond hair, legs that went on for miles and a nice rack. Yeah, I'm a seventeen year old red-blooded male- I looked, gay my ass. Emmett constantly teased me about being gay just because I don't screw everything that doesn't have a Y chromosome.

I knew I had to get the attention of the team back so we could get to the field on time. I kicked my foot out not knowing whom I would actually hit. Poor Eric got the kick.

"What the hell? Who kicked me?" he whined, but it accomplished my goal and caught everyone's attention.

I wasn't going to take the blame if he didn't know who did it so I decided to change the subject. "It's time to go, wrap it up guys, and quit acting like a bunch of girls."

As we rose, we each added a little stretch or bent over to tie shoes that didn't need it just to show off for the girls. We were worse than a bunch of women in front a mirror; we were horny teenage boys. Trying to make an impression, we all grabbed our trays and threw them away then strutted out the door. Everyone was talking and making comments about the different girls. Emmett was on fire about the blond. "Did you see her legs? They went on for miles. I would love to see them wrapped around me." I tuned him out as he continued to talk about what he would like to see her do.

While I thought she was hot, I knew she wasn't really my type. I was looking for a brown haired, wait what! That was only a dream, not who I was looking for. Was I now allowing my dreams to choose my next girlfriend? My first and only real girlfriend had been Tanya and she was a strawberry blond. She had been a senior last year while I was just a junior. I had gotten major man card points for that. She was captain of the cheerleading squad and when I was selected as first-string quarterback, she selected me as her next conquest. Looking back, it was a mutually beneficial relationship but I wished I had been in love with her. But I did learn a few things, maybe more than a few. I smiled at the memories.

Even with my musings, it didn't escape my notice that Jasper hadn't said a word about any of the girls. "J, you're awfully quiet."

"Not much to say this morning, E, not much to say," he replied.

"You ok? Still thinking about Maria?" I questioned him.

"Nah, that's over and done with you know. I'm actually glad I found out that she was cheating before we got any more involved. I think I want to stick a little closer to home. What about you? You already staking a claim on another cheerleader?"

"Didn't really have time to get a good look except at Em's blond. But you know me man; football is what I'm concentrating on right now."

"Yeah you say that now but when one of them comes over and wants to touch that crazy hair, what ya gonna do?" he laughed. His Texas accent coming out the more he joked.

"You're just jealous that you can't recreate this hair and the girls all want me first." I joked.

"Hmm, right, I know you would rather have this blond head than that carrot top."

"Shut the hell up J! You know my hair is not a carrot top anymore." I punched him in the arm for the reminder of my childhood nickname. I hated my red hair. Luckily, as I got older my hair had gotten darker and was now some crazy mix of brown and bronze, and looked highlighted. The girls seemed to love it and the wild unbrushed look that was a natural style for my hair. I was glad because trying to tame it was an effort in futility.

We finally reached the locker rooms and proceeded to change into our practice uniforms. After we had all changed, we walked as a team down to the field. The coaches were already there waiting on us and told us to take a seat on the ground. Gradually, the other seven teams came out and we were ready to officially start camp. We were introduced to Coach Holt. He was in charge of the camp and the Assistant Head Coach for the Washington Huskies.

"First things first, today you fellows had it easy not having to be on the field until 9:30 this morning. On Tuesday, you will be required to have a forty-five minute session in the gym prior to being on the field at…8:00am." Coach Holt informed us.

There were plenty of groans and complaints with that announcement.

"If you have a problem with the requirements, there are other schools that would love to take your place. You will be required to sign in with trainer and if you fail to attend the entire session more than once you and your teammates will be sent home. We put a lot of time and effort into this camp and we expect the same out of you. Your team is depending on you."

That shut us all up pretty quick. It was an honor for the school to be accepted in this camp. There were only eight spots for schools and they were highly coveted ones. If the team had to be sent home, we would be disappointing not only the school but also our whole town. It was another way of making us bond with each other and be responsible for more than just ourselves.

Coach Holt proceeded to tell us about the schedule, breaks, medical help, and all the routine rules for the camp. We would also have some strategy sessions in a classroom setting. Our day would wrap up around four in the afternoon. The University was allowing us use of the pool and gym after practices.

If we left the campus we were required to sign in and out with our counselor and team coach but they also needed to know where we were at all times. Curfew was at 11:00 p.m., and we were encouraged to use the facilities and set up a routine that we could follow back home.

We were then broken up into groups of two schools to rotate tours of the gym, the pool, the classrooms we would be using, and more discussion and questions on the field. By the time we finished it was lunchtime so we were sent to the cafeteria with firm instructions to return within forty-five minutes. Tardiness was another element that would not be tolerated at camp.

On our way to lunch, we passed the student center and found the cheerleaders. They were all spread out sitting on the ground much like we had been on the football field. In unison, we all slowed and walked a little taller. We didn't have to dress in our pads for this morning's session but we all still had on our jerseys. We had gained their attention and were turning heads. I saw Emmett wink at the blond. Garrett tripped over a piece of air as his attention was caught.

I tried not to stare but I glanced over the group. They were staring at us as much as we were looking at them. They were all attractive, some were beautiful, and others cute but no one really caught my eye. I shrugged it off and figured I would have to meet them first. I looked around the rest of my group and saw a few other winks being sent out. As captain of the team, I knew I was going to have to remind them we were here for the football not the girls.

About fifteen minutes after we had sat down in the cafeteria, the girls came in. We didn't go completely silent this time. I cleared my throat though, to get the attention of my team.

"Remember why we are here- when we are released at four o'clock, what you do is between you and Coach and I don't care what you do but before that we need to stay focused. We only have about ten minutes before we need to head out. If you don't think you can hang with the requirements of the camp, then let me or Coach know **now**. We are a team and what you do reflects on everyone else here." I looked them each in the eye and got a nod from everyone. They knew this was real and that we had each other's back. I was hopeful that I wouldn't need to have this conversation again.

As I finished my little speech and started eating, Team Coach Banner caught my attention. He gave me a slight nod in approval of the conversation I had just had. That boosted my confidence and it showed on the field when we headed back out after lunch. As captain of the team I would lead them in stretches and warm ups. I barked out commands to keep us moving.

After our warm-up, it was time for the camp coaches to see what we could do. We were all placed on the field in our positions and set up for some simple plays. It felt good to call out the count and feel the leather of the ball in my hand. It was second nature to me; the ball felt like an extension of my arm. I took a step back and looked across the field instantly calculating the best opening. Seeing Jasper in his usual space, I pulled my arm back and let the ball go. Perfect spin. I never tired of watching the ball as it left my hand and flew through the air. Jasper easily stepped up and caught the ball in a perfect hold gaining enough yardage to impress the coaches. Perfect throw, perfect spin, perfect catch.

In watching that pass I almost missed Emmett being tackled and ending up buried under about five players. "What the hell, Felix? You tripped me. I'm on your team, you sorry son of a bitch!" Emmett was snarling.

"Sorry, Em, sorry. I tripped and then slid into you. I'm not sure what happened," Felix responded. He was trying to hold in a chuckle though and the only reason Emmett didn't notice was that he was too busy muttering what he would do to Felix if it happened again.

Felix looked up at me and shrugged his shoulders then proceeded to fist bump Mike, Tyler, James, and Laurent. I guess they thought they had gotten Emmett back for the rude awakening this morning. I didn't dare laugh to bring attention to me.

"Huddle up team, we've still got work to do." I hollered out to bring everybody back together. We continued to practice and showed off for the coaches until quitting time. A few minutes before four o'clock, Couch Holt blew his whistle and ordered us to hit the showers.

Now that we knew there were girls around, we all opted to shower before heading back to the dorms. I planned to take advantage of the pool after practice but decided I would give myself a little time to hang out. Jasper decided to head back with me but Emmett was on the hunt for a keg.

Jasper and I walked around the campus getting used to where things were located. We met up with a few more of our guys and just hung out in the courtyard in front of the dorm. About an hour later, there was still no sign of Emmett but we all headed to the gym figuring we would catch up with him later.

We got signed in and since we were familiar with the room from our tour, we were able to get right to the workout. The staff of the gym was students at the University that were majoring in areas for physical health. They helped set us all up with a regimen that we could start here and be able to continue once we were home.

Our original plans were to head to pool but we were all tired from the day's activities so we made it back to our room to check on Emmett and get ready for dinner.

We found him spread out on the couch in the common area in our suite, mouth wide open and snoring. The guys couldn't resist pulling one more over on him so they quickly planned out another prank but kept it simple. Mike headed to Emmett's bed and shortchanged the sheets. Demetri filled Emmett's hands full of shaving cream.

Garrett went back to the door and slammed it loud causing Emmett to jerk awake. The first thing he did was cover his mouth with his hand. "What the hell?" Emmett exploded when he realized he now had a face full of shaving cream.

We were all laughing, but quickly scattered when Emmett stood with his hand stretched out ready to smear the stuff on whomever he could reach.

"So were you able to find anything?" I asked hoping to distract him.

"Of course I got a keg and I found out that girl's name is Rosalie and I can't wait to learn more." He responded cockily.

"Rosalie, huh? How did you find that out and where is the keg?" Jasper asked.

"Well, I just happened to bump into her and her friends at the store. I helped them get their stash back here. Our keg is in our closet." Emmett told the group and started fist bumping them. He got Mike and Eric with the shaving cream on his hands before they realized what he was doing.

"Dude, go wash your hands!" Eric shouted as he headed to the sink.

"Who were Rosalie's friends and where are they from?" Garrett wondered.

"They go to Port Angeles High School. I met Rose, Kate, Robin, and Heidi. Man, those ladies are gorgeous but Robin and Heidi are taken so hands off of them you meatheads," Emmett told us. He actually sounded somewhat protective of them.

I looked around the room and everyone seemed deep in thought. "So when do we get to meet them?"

"Tonight, my brother, during dinner so get your asses in gear and hit the showers again because you all stink," snickered Emmett.

We all huffed and puffed up at that, but knew it was true. Then we raced to the bathrooms to get cleaned up to meet the girls.


	3. My Baby is American Made

**Author's Note:** This was inspired by the song The Boys of Fall by Kenny Chesney. Many thanks to my beta, Cullen Concession, and my prereader, LasVegas TowGirls. I apologize for the long wait. I will try to update faster since the holidays are over.

**Disclaimer: **Stephenie Meyer owns the characters and Kenny Chesney owns the song and lyrics. My Baby is American Made belongs to The OakRidge Boys.

* * *

Chapter 3 My Baby is American Made

I swear that the girls could probably smell us coming. Emmett had smothered himself in cologne. He claimed it had spilled and that it would wear off walking to the cafeteria. He was wrong because I think the walk made it worse. Oh well it was his second impression, not mine.

After we got our food, we met back up at the table that we had unofficially claimed as our own. We were starving and had started eating but Emmett was acting like a pig. He was in a hurry to finish before Rosalie came in but he misjudged the amount of time he had.

As soon as he had stuffed almost a whole piece of pizza in his mouth, Rosalie came strolling up to the table with two of her friends. He then tried to swallow it whole, which led to a coughing fit.

"Well Emmett, I thought you were going to introduce me to your friends?" She said while hiding a smile.

In a move that took me by surprise, Emmett stood up, took Rosalie's arm, cleared his throat, and said, "I would like to introduce the team to Miss Rosalie Hale and her friends, Gianna Smith and Kate Denali. Ladies, I would like you to meet eleven of the finest football players besides myself to ever play the sport."

He then proceeded to introduce us each by name and position. Everyone nodded at the girls and greeted them but Felix and Garrett extended them invitations to join us for dinner. With those words, the guy code was implemented and these three girls were off limits to anyone else on the team. It was unwritten code that we don't date each other's exes unless permission was given.

In some weird way, the rest of us quickly finished eating at the same time and headed back to the dorms so that Emmett, Felix, and Garrett could have some time on their own or with the girls, whatever worked out for them.

As we headed back, we decided that we would have a party Thursday night before we headed home for the weekend. After all, we didn't want to waste Emmett's keg but we knew that we would not be able to party hard every night with our camp schedule.

When we got to the dorms, I realized that James and Laurent were no longer with us. "Did anyone talk to James or Laurent before they left?" I asked the group.

"Um, yeah, James said he was going to the store to get some smokes." Demetri reluctantly told us.

"No prob, as long as he cleared it with Coach. There's no way in hell I would have come on this trip if I had to keep track of everybody's sorry asses." I joked with him hoping to let him know that I wasn't expecting him to say or know anything else.

I knew that James was our weakest link. Not in regards to football, but in loyalty to the team. He only played because of the status it gave him at school. His best friend was Laurent who followed James around like a puppy. James had never done anything to give us a reason not to hang around with him but I just couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to watch my back when he was around.

About an hour later, all the guys had returned to the dorm. James was talking about a girl, Vicky, who he had run into at the store that he knew from Port Angeles. Felix and Emmett were competing with each other to tell us about their new friends. It was noisy but that all stopped when Emmett made a declaration.

"I am in l-o-v-e." This came from Emmett and caused all of us to turn to him and stare. "What? You all met her, what is there not to love?" He questioned the room.

We all shrugged but he kept going. "She is a perfect one-zero, the big ten, my men. Blond hair and long legs, prettier than the girl next door, but definitely American Made. I think she came straight out of my dreams."

I knew that Emmett could go on all night so I motioned to Garrett and asked about his new interest.

A quick smile came over his face before he changed his expression back to neutral. If I had not been looking at him, I would have missed it. "Her name is Kate and we like a lot of the same things. We are meeting for breakfast in the morning." He then shrugged his shoulders and announced he was calling it a night. Garrett was different. He was always around and dependable but never made a nuisance. It wasn't that he was always quiet but like Jasper, he was calm. That little smile made me hopeful for him, he deserved to be happy.

I decided to do the same since we needed to be up early. I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow. Almost immediately, I felt someone sit on the bed beside me. Thinking Emmett or Jasper had confused my bed with theirs, I shoved the body as hard as I could off the bed. I instantly realized that it was neither Emmett nor Jasper that I had pushed off the bed but someone much lighter and smaller.

Wondering who would have come into our room, I started to look over the edge of the bed only to hear the sweetest sound. Quiet giggles were followed by a few louder chuckles. I then noticed a small delicate hand on the edge of my bed just like the one I had seen on my arm in my dream this morning. I quickly moved to look over the side of the bed and saw my brown haired beauty trying to sit up on the floor from where I had pushed her off the bed. I reached my hand out to help steady her and felt her soft, smooth skin.

I heard her inhale as I touched her. I pulled my other hand out of the covers to push her hair back so that I could finally see her face. As I tucked her hair behind her ear, Emmett literally bounded into the room and knocked the door against the wall, waking me from my dream with the loud noise.

"I didn't wake you up did I man? I could always announce my presence with an air horn if you prefer." Emmett laughed.

"Fuck off, Em!" I snarled back. He wasn't fazed in the least and continued to get into bed. I desperately tried to go back to sleep and recapture my dream but just like all the others, she was gone. When I did fall asleep, I felt like I was running around in search of something. I woke up tired and in a bad mood.

Knowing that I was in a mood, I kept to myself. The guys knew me well enough by now to leave me alone and that I would be back to normal sooner if I no one messed with me.

When we walked out on the field, some of the Washington Huskies players were there along with some more of their Coaches. Coach Holt introduced the Huskies Head Coach Steve Sarkisian. Coach Sarkisian spoke a few minutes about the importance of teamwork and dedication to the sport. We all listened but were anxious to meet the players.

After the speech, we were separated out into groups via our positions. I was able to meet Coach Doug Nussmeier and the Huskies Quarterback Jake Locker among several other players. We went through several exercises where our skills were assessed and discussed. Each Huskies player gave us pointers as quarterbacks and then gave us individual assessments.

Jake was impressed with my arm and me and told me to keep focused. We finished earlier than everyone else did and he explained that I didn't need as much help as some of the others. We fist bumped after that and then I started asking him questions about college.

He looked at me in surprise then started talking about his experiences and what he would have changed if he could start all over again. I asked him to name one thing that he was glad that he had done or wished he had done.

After thinking for several long minutes, he responded with, "Edward, I wish that I had not left my family out of so much in the beginning. I wanted to get out of the house like most teenagers and experience college. I didn't tell them about homecomings and parents day because I didn't want to be embarrassed. Now, I want them to be there and well they can't. Without giving you TMI, just be thankful every time you have someone in the stands that is there for you- not because you are the quarterback or part of the team, but for you."

With a nod and another fist bump, he stood up and walked away with his shoulders hunched. I looked behind me to the stands and although they were empty, I could close my eyes and see them filled with Spartan fans. My mom, Esme, and dad, Carlisle, were in the stands wearing my number and the school colors as usual. They came to every sporting event that I was involved in. Thinking of them with Jake's advice, I noticed the grins on their faces and the look of pride that I not really paid attention to before. They had them on even before the game started so it wasn't due to the score but it was there because of me.

Damn it, I was glad no one could read my thoughts because I sure felt like a girl with all these emotions. Just as I was opening my eyes, I saw my twin, Alice cheering on the field and her arm as usual was interlocked with Jes- no that wasn't Jessica, it was someone new, with long brown hair. I had stopped my vision by opening my eyes so I couldn't tell who Alice had befriended although I felt myself hoping it might be my brown haired girl.

I didn't have any more time to think on it as Coach Holt called us all back together. He explained that the Huskies also hosted a youth camp for grades three through eight that would take place our last two days of camp the following week. It was called the Big Dawg Football Camp. Some of us would be asked to help but we were not required to participate. Anyone who helped would receive a letter of recommendation of our participation. We would know by Monday if we had been selected to help.

We were sent to lunch where we proceeded to firm up plans to have our party Thursday night. A few other schools that were on the same floor in our dorm, heard us talking and decided that they would join us and have a party too. We decided we would leave the doors open to the hallways if people were welcome in the room. Otherwise, closed doors meant off limits. What can I say; we were guys and kept it simple.

Before we knew it, Thursday afternoon was here and Emmett was in full party planning mode. He wanted to make sure we had cups, food, and party supplies. I started calling him Alice and he calmed down. Earlier in the week, he had realized that by tonight, the keg would be warm and he needed to figure out a way to keep it cold.

He came into the dorm last night with a huge trashcan on wheels. I don't even want to know where he got it from or the ice that was in it but he explained that he was going to put the keg in there to get it cool. I had a feeling the local Hampton Inn was missing a few things judging by the decal on the can. Whatever works though because it did its job and the keg was cold.

Emmett had invited Rosalie and her friends to hang out so we were expecting to have a good time. She arrived with the rest of her squad. I stood leaning against the door to our room watching everyone as they came in.

Garrett took Kate's hand in his and led her to the couch in the corner. I only saw him leave her side to get a cup of beer for her. He really seemed to be in to her.

Emmett and Rosalie were sitting in the window nook talking and laughing. The fact that she had him staying in one place was amazing. I figured we would be seeing a lot more of her around. If she could rein him in, I was all for adding her to our group. I loved Emmett like a brother but he could be overwhelming at times.

Glancing around the room again, I could see the hallway through the open door. Walking past the door were two girls, a brunette and a blond. All I could see was the brown hair. I quickly straightened up and headed out the door to catch up with them. I found them talking with Demetri and a few other guys.

My heart raced as I looked at the back of her head. It took everything in me not to pull her out of the group and run with her until I could hide her away in my room and find out who she was. I gently touched her shoulder and found myself holding my breath as she turned around.

She had a smile that lit up her face when she saw me and deep brown chocolate eyes that were dancing with joy. "Hi, I'm Robin, a friend of Rose's." I couldn't help but smile back to her even though I realized she was the friend Emmett had mentioned earlier in the week. She was taken and that was a line I would never cross.

While we talked about how we liked the camps and the campus, I tried not to let any disappointment show. She was a great girl, some dude was really lucky. I really enjoyed talking with her but, to be honest, she made me think of my girl and how alone I was. This crap is driving me insane.

Saying my goodbyes, I walked back to our suite of rooms to find everyone spread out. The door to James, Laurent, and Eleazar's room was open. The closer I got to it the more I smelled something strange. It was a sweet but cloying smell covered up with rain and cheap perfume.

Looking into the room, James, Laurent, and Vicky were sitting on the bed. Laurent looked asleep leaning against the corner wall but James was hiding something in his hand. Vicky was pretty much in his lap. I took another sniff of the air while I glanced around. I noticed the air freshener on the desk that accounted for the rain smell while Vicky was the reason for the cheap perfume.

My thoughts came together and figured out that Mary Jane was visiting James too. I was pissed. I barely gave him a choice as I gritted my teeth and muttered, "You've got two choices- get rid of it or the team gets rid of you! Make a decision now."

He started to come back at me when Vicky grabbed his head and stuck her tongue down his throat. "James, don't leave me alone here for the next two weeks." She was able to mumble around his mouth as she backed away. She then started kissing down his neck and sucking on him. I was disgusted. The entire time she was all over him, she was looking at me.

James decided he was more interested in her and proceeded to put out the joint on the bottom of his shoe and threw the rest of it out the window. Not caring that I was still in the doorway, he pulled Vicky into his lap so that she was straddling his legs. Still looking at me, she moved her hips into him and moaned out loud.

Not wanting to see anymore of him and their amateur porn show, I went back to our room and found Jasper laying on his bed listening to his iPod.

"So do you want to talk about it or do you need time to process what has got you wound up? " Jasper asked interrupting my pacing in the room.

Stopping to look at him I asked, "What gave it away this time? The hair pulling?"

"Nope, it was the fingers on the bridge of your nose. Let me give you one piece of advice now- never play poker. You have so many tics that you would never be able to hide your emotions." He drawled out. He had been out of Texas for over ten years but when he was comfortable and around us, the accent just popped out.

I flopped back on the bed and sighed aloud. Jasper was never pushy and I knew he would not say anything else. The offer to listen was out there. I looked back over to him and he was laying with his eyes closed, tapping his foot to the beat of some country song.

"I think I need to process this one but I may need to talk it through tomorrow." He opened his eyes and gave me a quick nod to acknowledge me then returned to his music.

"Why aren't you out there with the others? Meeting the squad, scoping out someone new." I wondered.

"Ah, I met 'em. None of 'em caught my eye. I had a couple of beers but don't want to be hung over in the morning. I gotta be ready to catch everything you throw at me." He mumbled out without even looking up.

"You know I'm beginning to think you already have somebody on your mind."

That stopped him more than anything else I had said. He slowly looked me in the eye and said, "I think I need to process this one but I may need to talk it through tomorrow." He smirked.

"Alright, J, you know where I am and I've got your back."

"Counting on it." That was the end of our conversation as we settled in for the night. My mind was running in circles thinking about who Jasper could be interested in. I knew he would tell me when he was ready. I really just wanted him happy so I realized the who didn't matter too much to me.

That night I dreamed of a bonfire with all my friends. It seemed they were all pairing off and starting relationships that went beyond a date or two. Even though we were all having a good time, I still felt alone in the crowd.

Waking up on Friday was difficult for me. My mind was still racing from the previous evening. Last night I had caught James smoking weed. It was a line that should not have been crossed and I was uncertain how to deal with it. We all broke the rules since we were drinking when we were underage and at camp, but smoking pot at camp was just too far.

If he wanted to smoke it up at home, then that was his business as long as it didn't interfere with the team. I needed to think about what should happen now. Would it be enough to just watch him or did I need to tell the Coach?

I could tell that James didn't like me telling him last night to put it out. He had narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists while looking at me. If Vicky had not of been hanging on him and distracting him with a little too much PDA, there would have been an argument.

Sometimes I hated being responsible. I decided that I would talk to Coach Banner about hypothetical situations and see what happened. Friday went by quicker than I thought it would. Trying to figure out what I needed to say and how to approach the Coach, I was distracted and before I knew it we were eating lunch and getting ready to load the bus. Since I hadn't been able to talk to him throughout the morning, I figured I had a captive audience on the bus on the way home.

Coach actually approached me first and asked me to come sit up front with him for a while since our trip was close to four hours. He asked all the usual questions about what I thought about the camp, if I thought it was helpful. He then asked about the other players and how I thought they were doing. I hesitated a moment longer than normal.

"Edward, as the captain of the team, the other guys look up to you and follow your direction. You were chosen for this honor by the team and the faculty for your skill, attitude, and dependability. When I see something bothering you, I know there is a reason behind it. I'm here for you to talk to if you ever need me."

I nodded my head at his words but I was still torn although I had made the decision earlier in the day to talk to him. Deciding to let him lead me, I started talking.

"I know that the lines between good and bad decisions are blurred sometimes. But there are some things we have been taught are bad no matter the explanation behind them." He just nodded so I continued. "What I consider to be bad, others may feel like the lines can be blurred. I can understand that and respect it because we are all different."

Not knowing how to proceed I looked down and was silent. Coach seemed to understand what I was saying though because he broke the silence with, "Somebody on the team crossed one of your lines?"

My silence was his answer. "Son, let me talk this through a minute and you just listen, ok?" I nodded.

"You don't want to tattle because somewhere along the line you made a choice that wasn't the best one either and this teammate knows that or even made that same choice too. I could probably guess what some of those are because I was a teenager myself once upon a time. I need you to think about the answers to a few questions. Was the choice dangerous? Did it put anyone in immediate life threatening danger? Did it hurt someone? Or would this choice affect the future? Were you responsible for the choice?"

My eyes widened at those questions wondering how to answer them all. After giving me a moment to think he continued, "I can assume that no one was harmed or is in immediate danger because I think you would have come to me sooner." He glanced at me for an answer so I slowly nodded.

"Well, I think you have a situation where you have several options. You have already alerted me that I need to be a more vigilant on what is happening with the team. Because I know you, I feel like I can assume that you called the teammate on the choice. If it happens again, you need to tell me and no talking around it. Or if it escalates to a dangerous situation, then you need to tell me immediately. With this option, it won't just be you looking out though. You had better believe that I will figure it out. The next option is to be open with me right now. Without knowing more, I can't tell you what will happen. But I trust you that no one is being harmed."

I knew what he was saying. I could be referencing many different behaviors that could spell trouble. I could honestly say that the smoking weed was more of a danger to our reputation unless James started using more hardcore drugs or more often. I felt comfortable knowing that Coach would be on the lookout for stuff now even if that meant we had to curtail our partying.

"I think for now I like you knowing that there might be a situation out there. If it changes I will definitely let you know." He nodded to me accepting my decision.

I started to get up to return to my seat with Jasper but thought I needed to add one more thing. "Coach, you can always ask me a question and I will tell you straight. I might not want to, but my dad taught me honesty was the best way to go."

I didn't give him time to respond before I walked away.

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Another Note: I know you are anxious for Bella and she will show up around chapter 5 or 6 depending on Edward. This story is about the friendships along with the romance. Thanks for all the reviews!

CC


	4. Friends in Low Places

**Author's Note: **This story was inspired by the song The Boys of Fall by Kenny Chesney. Many thanks to my beta, Cullen Concession, and my prereader, LasVegas TowGirls. The players mentioned in Chapter 3 and 4 from the Washington Huskies are actual people and no disrespect is intended. I just wanted to keep the story real to the area. The Big Dawg Camp is an actual camp there also.

**Disclaimer: **Stephenie Meyer owns the characters and Kenny Chesney owns the song and lyrics. Friends in Low Places belongs to Garth Brooks.

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**Chapter 4 Friends in Low Places**

I couldn't believe how glad I was to see the parking lot of the school and my dad waiting to take me home. Normally I would have driven my Volvo but I didn't want to leave it in the lot at school for a week. The crime rate in our little town was lower than most cities but I loved my baby and our Chief of Police, Charlie Swan, could only patrol the lot occasionally.

Getting picked up made me remember those grade school trips when the parents had to drop me off and pick me up. My recent conversation with Jake Locker made me smile at the memories and thankful that my parents cared about what I was doing.

I was surprised to see Alice with my dad. She usually hung out with us but was busy being captain of the cheerleading squad this summer which occupied many of her evenings. Alice was dedicated to her team and spent hours choreographing and practicing. It was more than popularity and short skirts for her, it was art. Her only problem was that people took advantage of her take-charge attitude and let her do all the work.

She almost knocked me over when she ran to me and started hugging me. "Edward, I missed you."

"Missed you too, Ali, but I've not even been gone a week." I looked at her with a question in my eyes.

She just shrugged and backed away. She spotted Emmett and ran to jump on his back. He started by grabbing her and then swinging them around which made her squeal. "Emmett, you big goof, don't you drop me!"

He just laughed then set her down with a head rub, which caused her to scowl at him. I saw her look around and locate Jasper. He was still waiting for his bag, but he watched her as she walked up to him. Alice doesn't do anything in slow mode so when she was taking her time to get to him it made me pay more attention to her.

I was expecting her to attempt to knock him down but she did the exact opposite. She quietly walked up to him and welcomed him home, then stood on her tiptoes to bring her arms around his neck for a hug.

If I hadn't been watching I wouldn't have seen Jasper taking the same amount of care to wrap his arms around her and gently squeeze her. The hug didn't last any longer than usual but it was more like the hugs my parents shared – intimate. Was I reading too much into their interaction?

I shook my head and glanced away. Dad had already picked up my bags and was telling Emmett and Jasper that he would drop them off at their homes. On the drive, we made plans to hang out in the morning.

After dropping Emmett and Jasper off, we finally made it home where mom was waiting on us or specifically me. Stepping into the house, I was finally at home. The smell of dinner was in the air. Although the food in the cafeteria was ok, I was ready for some of my mom's cooking.

"Edward, we missed you sweetie and I made all of your favorites for tonight." She told me as she engulfed me in a massive hug. Although I was almost a foot taller than she was, she still managed to surround me and for a moment, I was five again. My world was safe and complete.

She stepped back from hugging me and I realized she had tears in her eyes. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"Nothing sweet boy, just needed an Edward moment. Now, you and Alice go set the table so we can eat." When I was a toddler my mom and I would have what I called "mommy moments." They were just simple things when I needed an extra hug from her or to spend time with her by myself. I would go and sit in her lap and tell her I needed a mommy moment. She would stop what she was doing and wrap her arms around me and we would just sit together, sometimes we would talk, and other times we would just be silent. As I got a little older, she started calling them "Edward moments" and would say she needed them. When I outgrew her lap, I would sit beside and we would just hold hands. Those times grounded me and made me realize that my mom was always there for me. She could always tell when I needed her and would call for an Edward moment.

Shaking my head to stop my thoughts, I quickly set the table and decided I needed to do something with Dad to get back to guy mode. After dinner, we sat around and I schooled Dad again in Wii bowling.

The next morning I woke up to hazel eyes staring at me. "Finally, I thought you would never wake up. I missed you this week Edward. Can I hang with you today?" Alice looked at me with eyes wide open hoping I would agree.

"Sure, Ali, I think we planned to just hang around here and maybe hit the diner for lunch and shoot some pool." I told her. Actually, Alice was around us a lot. Jasper and Emmett never seemed to mind so when she never found a group of her own she just stayed with us. Everyone loved Alice and would have loved to include her in their inner groups but she had always stuck with me. She often told me that she could only handle her other friends in moderation.

Grabbing my hand she tried to pull me out of bed. "Well come on sleepy head, I'm ready to race you on some Super Mario, I'm Yoshi!" As I slipped out of the covers, I was glad that I didn't have a dream last night. That would have been embarrassing. Alice and I shared a lot but I have not told her about my dreams. Those were mine and I wasn't ready to tell anyone about them.

"I'll fix you some breakfast while you get dressed and we can meet in the basement." She called out as she headed out the door not expecting me to answer.

Ten minutes later, I walked into the basement that mom had converted into a dream space for Alice and me to hang out. There was a large plasma screen on the wall. Gaming systems and the stereo were in the cabinets underneath the TV. The next wall had bookshelves that were filled with books and games. The third wall had another set of shelves at different levels that housed our movies and video games. The last wall had a huge comfy couch with recliners on each end. Two more swivel rockers completed the seating. Above the couch Mom had candid photographs of the family including Emmett and Jasper. She updated these every few months.

I often took this room for granted but Mom and Alice kept it up to date. We had our own bathroom down here and another smaller room that had a refrigerator and a microwave in it. Mom kept snacks stocked in there. I asked her once why my parents did this for us when they could have used the rooms for themselves. She replied that it was simple: If we were in the basement, she knew where we were and roughly, what we were doing. It reduced her stress and worry level. She was right though, everyone always wanted to hang at our house.

Alice handed me my plate of breakfast and I sat in my favorite recliner on the couch. With my left hand, I pulled Alice closer to my side and put my arm around her. She turned the TV on and we watched some old school episodes of the Smurfs while I ate.

"Everything ok? You seem lost in your thoughts." I asked after we had sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Yep, I just feel like change is in the air. It makes me excited but I don't want things to change either. I just wanted to spend some quiet time with you before the guys got here. You know one of these days I will find my own man. Do you think you guys will accept him into our circle?" Her question didn't surprise me as much as it would have a week ago.

Alice had dated a few guys but it never lasted. She would always say that he wasn't worth her time and she wasn't going to waste her time on immature guys with bad hygiene. Since she opened the subject up, I decided to ask her some questions. "That would depend on who he is. Anybody I know? Have you found someone you really like?"

She turned her head away as she shrugged her shoulders. "Not really, I was just asking."

Since she lost eye contact with me, I knew she wasn't telling me everything. "You know I want you to be happy and yeah, when you settle on someone, we will grill him and make sure he deserves to even be in the same room as you." I silently debated whether to say anything else and then decided to just go for it. "It would have been easier if you would have liked Emmett or Jasper since we spend all our time with them anyway. Of course, a break up would make it messy and Emmett is out for the count now. So your only option is Jasper although he might be off the market too."

Her head whipped around so fast with my comment I thought I would get dizzy. "What do you mean Emmett is out and Jasper might be? You would be ok if I dated one of them?" She practically squealed.

I could barely keep up with her she was talking so fast. "Emmett met a girl, Rosalie, from Port Angeles while we were at camp. He's been pretty serious about her and I can see her hanging out with-"

"Did Jasper meet anyone?" She interrupted me.

"No, actually he didn't but I got the impression he had met someone recently. Jasper and Emmett are good guys where it counts and it would take getting used to if you dated one of them but like I said I want you happy. Now a break up would be hard 'cause I would hate to have to kick my best friend's ass and I don't know how you would feel about them hanging out here afterwards. It's a lot to think about it but it is your life. Just remember- I've got your back."

Before she could question me further, the subjects of our conversation walked in the door. They were considered family, not guests, so they no longer waited for someone to let them in. Usually they rang the bell to announce their arrival and then came on into the house. It was the same way for me at their homes.

Emmett had his arm wrapped around my mom's shoulders as he walked in. "Mama Es, I missed your snacks while we were gone. I think that camp is trying to starve me between meals. Then your boy over there made me throw away my Cheetos!"

Esme gasped out, "Edward, why-"

I quickly interjected, "Mom, they had spilled all over his clothes-clean and dirty. And that was just some nasty sh-, uh stuff. I got that orange crap all over me."

Mom narrowed her eyes at my slip but ignored it and laughed. She kissed Emmett and Jasper on the cheeks and promised to make a goody basket for us to take back with us the following week. "I have to run to the grocery store to get some supplies so you guys have fun and be careful. Just leave a note, Edward and Alice, when you leave."

We all shouted our good-byes as she left the room.

Jasper plopped down on the other end of the couch while Emmett took his preferred rocker recliner off to the side. "So what are the plans for today?" Emmett asked while he spun the chair around.

"How about sticking around here for a bit then heading to the diner for lunch and then playing some pool?" I suggested.

**Jasper POV**

I was actually nervous walking into the Cullen home although it has been like my own for about ten years. I was anxious to see Alice. I had always looked at her as a little sister but we had to work on a project last year in school and we were able to talk and really got to know each other. I found myself looking at her differently and looking forward to spending time with only her. Just being in her presence made me smile.

I was concerned about Edward. I didn't know how he would feel about me asking her out. And what if we didn't work out; I didn't want to risk my friendship with him. So before I made any kind of move toward her I wanted to make sure that it was more than a crush. I needed and wanted to sort out my feelings before making any changes.

The past several months I had made more of an effort to spend time with her. She seemed to understand me and get my need for silence sometimes. I think she was feeling the same thing although we had never discussed our feelings.

I was hoping she was planning on hanging out with us this weekend. When we walked in the door, Mama Es, as we called her was coming out of the kitchen. She let us know that Edward was in the basement. She headed down there with us, talking with Emmett.

I scanned the room and found Alice cuddled up beside Edward on the couch. I did a mental fist pump. Over the past several weeks, I had moved from my preferred side chair to the couch where she usually sat so I could be closer to her. I didn't hesitate this time to sit in the recliner on the opposite end of Edward. As I sat down, I smiled and Alice whispered out a good morning.

I winked at her when I spoke. "Mornin'."

I wasn't even paying attention to Edward and Emmett as they made plans for the day. Anything was ok with me. I just wanted to be around Alice.

The weekend went by pretty quick. Before I knew it, we were getting ready to head back to Seattle. Alice offered to take us to the bus so that we didn't have to leave our cars in the parking lot. Edward looked a little pained to have to hand over his keys to Alice once we got there. She gave out hugs as usual but saved me for last.

I squeezed her a little tighter and longer than normal and was rewarded when she whispered in my ear. "Have a good week, Jasper." Then with a brief touch, she kissed my cheek. I was so surprised and elated I was unable to say anything back. I finally recovered enough to wave to her with Edward and Emmett as she drove away.

I was a little slow getting my things on the bus since; I was sidetracked thinking about that kiss so when I tried to find a seat the only one available was behind James and Laurant. I didn't really want to talk to them so I slid down in my seat and acted like I was going to sleep. At least this way, I would be able to think about whether I should talk to Edward this week about Alice.

It was the mention of her name that made me listen to the conversation in front of me.

"I'm telling you I would have loved to have knocked him off his pedestal last week but I have plans to get even."

"Don't do anything stupid, James. You know that it doesn't really matter."

"Doesn't matter? That shithead was trying to tell me what to do like he owns me or something. I just want to show him he doesn't own everybody. Plus, she will want me to do it, trust me." James replied with a sneer in his voice.

I made the mistake of shifting and the sound made them stop their conversation. I was fuming. I hadn't heard what they had specifically said about Alice-just her name before I started listening. If they planned to hurt her, they would have more than Edward to worry about. I vowed to watch them and listen to them until I could figure out what the hell was going on. Just the thought that they might hurt Alice made furious.

I was glad when we reached camp. The coaches were going to let us know first thing this morning who got selected for the Big Dawg Camp. I figured Edward was a given but Emmett and I should be in the running.

Coach Holt didn't waste any time and got us all settled on the field. He summarized the rules again for camp, and then started talking about the BD Camp. He reminded us that it was an honor to be selected to join but that it was not mandatory. Everyone who was selected needed to meet with him right after the announcement to let him know if we would participate.

He started out calling schools alphabetically and then two players from each school. This made me nervous because I really wanted to be selected. He then skipped Forks High School. We all looked at each other wondering if something was wrong. After he finished with the other seven schools, he was quiet. Feeling dejected we all thought he was through when he started talking again.

"We had an usual situation this year. Normally, we select two players from each school and occasionally a third. But this year we were not able to do that." Now we were squirming around wondering what we could have done for them not to be able to select anyone from our team. "Forks High School was invited to the camp this year for the first time. For the past four years, their players and coaches have turned the tables on a decade long losing streak. We have been impressed with the team and so decided to honor them with four slots. Edward Cullen, Emmett McCarty, Garrett Moore, and Jasper Whitlock."

Our team was shocked. I honestly thought the other teams would be jealous but they were cheering for us and those sitting beside us gave us high fives. Our team coaches were smiling and slapping each other on the back. You would have thought we had won the Super Bowl.

Coach Holt blew his whistle to bring everybody back to order. "Congratulations to all the young men selected and let me know before you separate into camp sessions whether you plan to participate."

The four of us jumped up to let him know we would do it. We knew what an honor it was and didn't plan to turn it down. Plus, we all knew colleges loved that kind of stuff. As we were walking away from the group, Laurent was talking to James. James was eyeing Edward with narrowed eyes and muttering under his breath. I made another note to watch him and to talk with Edward. But nothing could distract me from being happy right now.

I actually reached in my pocket to pull out my cell phone to call Alice before I caught myself. I would have loved to tell her the news but would have to settle for talking with her when Edward called home.

Camp continued in the same routine as the week before. We met with some of the players from the week before and a few new ones. It was awesome to play beside pro-athletes, well college athletes. We were all learning great things to take back with us.

The only low point in the week was hearing James talk about a girl from Forks that was interested in him but he thought of as a little sister. It made me think that he was setting the girl up and with the conversation I had overheard on the bus, I was worried it was Alice. I decided it was time to talk to Edward.

Since we were helping at the BD Camp, I was able to spend more time with Edward. We talked about James and he told me what had happened the week before. I told him what I had overheard and he was furious. We decided to tell Emmett what was happening and he wasn't too happy either.

"That's our little sis, right J? No way will we let him get away with that shit."

I avoided answering him only to catch Edward staring at me. I didn't say anything as Emmett told us about his plans to spend the evening with Rosalie and that she would be joining us on Saturday. We both murmured agreement as he left the room.

Hoping to change the subject, I brought up the weekend. "I hope Alice and Rosalie get along. It sure will make our lives easier."

"Yeah cause if Alice doesn't approve, it could cause problems. Of course, we could always stop Alice from hanging around with us." Edward chuckled.

"Uh, what planet are you on? Alice will do what she wants and that includes hanging with us regardless of what you say." I pointed out to him.

"And you don't seem to mind it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked defensively.

"Not a thing. Just agreeing that once Alice sets her mind on something she goes after it."

I looked at him quickly before lowering my eyes to the ground. "So does she have her mind set on something?"

Edward shrugged his shoulders and replied, "Not something but someone, I think." He smirked.

Jealousy ripped through me like a lightning bolt. My heart constricted wondering if she had found someone. What would I do if she had? With a sigh, I fell back on my bed. I was starting to sweat and felt like I needed to run. I sat back up so quickly I was light headed. I looked toward Edward and he was just watching me.

I grabbed my head and grunted.

"You ready to have that talk you mentioned last week?"

I looked at Edward blankly while I went through my memories. Our conversation about my mind on someone closer to home came to mind. Oh God, this was it. I had my answer. The thought of her with anyone else blew my mind and caused me physical pain.

I had to try. I was willing to risk it all if she would give me a chance. I glanced at Edward again. Would he be ok with Alice and me as a couple? Would our friendship survive? I didn't realize I asked that last question aloud until he spoke.

"It will survive as long as you know that if you hurt her, I will make you pay. As long as you make her happy, I've got your back." I nodded to him to let him know that I understood and agreed.

Suddenly, I couldn't wait for camp to be over but I knew I needed to make sure that Alice wanted me too. Remembering that kiss, I thought my chances were pretty damn good. It was going to be a long ride back to Forks with all my thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BOF~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On Saturday, we decided to celebrate the ending of camp by going out to the diner and then to the pool hall. This weekend we had an extra addition to our group, Rosalie, as Emmett had mentioned earlier in the week. Lucky for us, Alice and Rosalie got along like long lost best friends. They talked nonstop about their favorite places to shop and made plans to get manis and pedis.

Kill me now. I should not even know what those are but with Alice around there was no way not to.

We crammed into a booth at the diner. After ordering our usuals, Chief Swan stopped by our table.

"Boys just wanted to congratulate you on BD Camp. We're proud of you guys and the whole team. I'm actually looking forward to seeing you play this year."

"Thanks, Chief."

"Listen guys, I have a favor to ask. My daughter is coming to live with me this fall and will be a senior this year with all of you. If you could look after her, I would appreciate it. She's had…, well let me just say I want her to be happy and would consider it a personal favor."

We all nodded as Emmett answered, "Sure thing, Chief, we'll make sure she's taken care of."

Before he walked off, Alice asked, "What's her name?"

"Bella."

While our food was delivered, we talked about the Chief's daughter. We didn't even know he had any children.

"Oh! I hope she wants to be on the squad. We could always use new talent."

"Alice, I think you ought to wait and see if she has any talent before you offer her a position." Edward added. We could always count on him to be pragmatic and realistic.

"I say we wait until she gets here and then see where she fits in. She might not like us. Besides, I'm ready for a little pool." With my comment, we finished our dinner and got up to head over to the pool hall.

We didn't have much going on in Forks so the pool hall allowed the teenagers to come in and hang out. They had even started karaoke nights, and had a few local bands to come in and play. Once football season was over, Emmett, Edward and I would probably sign up. We didn't really have a formal gig but we played around and we found that we enjoyed it.

"Evening, Waylon!" We all greeted the owner as we walked in and Alice went to hug him.

"Grab yourselves a table. It gets busy round here on Saturday nights now, so if you want one, you had better hold on to it. Alice, come here and get a reserved sign and maybe that will help you keep it."

We grabbed a table close to one of the pool tables and then set up for a game. One of the neat things Waylon did with the place was to keep the bar atmosphere without the alcohol. Emmett headed to the bar to get us all drinks. We decided guys against girls for now and I would sit out.

While they played, the place had really started to fill up. Waylon also had Ben from school come in and DJ the music for the evening. Things were getting loud and busy but we were having fun. Emmett and Edward won the game but I had a feeling Rosalie was holding back. Alice needed to run to the bathroom and would sit the next round out. I became Edward's partner while Emmett and Rosalie paired up.

After we had each taken two turns I realized Alice hadn't returned to the table. We all still had drinks so she wouldn't have gone to the bar. I looked around the place to see if she was off talking to other friends but I couldn't see her anywhere.

After another turn, I told the group that I needed a break. They all groaned but I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. The bathrooms were located around a corner and down a hall. I headed that way to look for Alice. When I got to the entrance, I asked a girl heading in to see if Alice was in there.

She immediately popped her head back out to let me know that it was only her and another girl in there. She hadn't seen Alice except when she was playing pool with us. I headed back to our table.

"Edward, did Alice come back yet?"

"What? No, she went to the bathroom."

"I know but she has been gone awhile and she's not in the bathroom and I don't see her." Something in my voice got his attention.

"You didn't see her when you went that way?"

"Nah, and I even asked a freshman to check inside the bathroom." Emmett and Rosalie had joined us to listen in at this point.

"Ok, Rosalie, would you stay here so when she comes back we will know where to find her? Emmett, will you check outside and your Jeep? Jasper, you check that hallway beyond the bathrooms that lead to the storage areas. I'll go to the bar and talk to Waylon."

As we headed out, my stomach was in knots fearing the worst. I hadn't seen James or Laurant but felt like they were responsible for Alice being missing. I walked toward the bathrooms again scanning the room and hoped to find her. Still no Alice. The hallway past the bathroom doors was unlit; it took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I took a few steps unsure of where I was going.

The hallway turned a corner and I thought I heard a whimper. I stood still a moment trying to hear anything else. I couldn't decide whether to call out for her or use the element of surprise to my advantage. Deciding surprise was my best bet, I remained silent.

I started walking again with a feeling that Alice was close. I made it to the end of the hall and there was a door marked "Storage- Employees Only" that was not closed all the way. I gently pushed on it and rage blurred my vision.

James had Alice pushed against the wall. One hand was covering her mouth so that she couldn't make a noise but was also pressing her head into the wall. Tears were streaming down her face. His was running his finger around her collarbone and her shirt was ripped. He was whispering to her at the same time he was kissing her neck.

From where I stood, I couldn't hear what he was saying but I didn't need to. He was touching my Alice. In a move that surprised me, I ran to him and jerked him by his ponytail. He was caught off guard and released Alice to turn around. I didn't give him time to react before I swung my fist and heard a satisfying crunch as blood spurted from his nose.

I vaguely realized Alice had started screaming for help. As I looked at him, hatred swelled up and I couldn't resist swinging at him repeatedly. My second blow landed in his gut and knocked the breath from him. The third one brought his head back and I was sure his jaw would be broken. That fucker would not be kissing anyone else anytime soon.

I wanted to keep hitting him but was brought back to reality with a hand on my shoulder. I looked over to see Emmett. "Jasper, the police are on the way. You got him."

I quickly glanced toward Alice and saw that Edward was hugging her tightly into his chest while staring daggers at James. I caught his attention and then looked at Alice. He looked me straight in the eyes and nodded. Unable to resist touching her any longer, I walked over to them and took off my outer t-shirt. I slowly touched Alice's shoulder and she looked at me with large teary eyes. I motioned toward the shirt in my hand and she nodded.

She turned toward me and I slid the shirt over her head and then wrapped my arms around her.

"God, Alice, I was so scared. I can't believe that son of a bitch touched you. I couldn't have lived with myself if he had…"

"Shh, Jasper, you got here in time. All he did was threaten me. You saved me." I couldn't believe she was comforting me after what that douche bag had tried to do to her.

Somehow in the background, Chief Swan and his deputy had arrived and arrested James. He briefly talked with all of us to get our stories and told us our parents were on the way. I never let go of Alice the whole time. If I couldn't have my arms around her, I clutched her hand like a lifeline.

When Esme and Carlisle arrived, she hugged them and assured them she was ok, but she stayed beside me the entire time. Esme looked at our hands and just grinned at me and nodded.

As it was time to leave, I looked at Alice and said, "I can't let you go."

She just turned to me and smiled and replied, "You've kept me waiting long enough; you don't have to let me go anymore."

I pulled our clasped hands to my lips and pressed a light kiss to her knuckles. "Yes, ma'am." She smiled and I leaned down and touched her forehead with mine. I had never felt this connection before but I only wanted more.

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Thanks for reviewing and I think I see a dream girl appearing soon! CC


	5. Hypnotize the Moon

**Author's Note:** This was inspired by the song The Boys of Fall by Kenny Chesney. Many thanks to my beta, Cullen Concession, and my prereader, LasVegas TowGirls. Even if you don't like country music, I urge you to listen to the song for this chapter. Link is on my page.

This chapter is a little shorter but I think you will all be happy with it ;)

**Disclaimer: **Stephenie Meyer owns the characters and Kenny Chesney owns the song and lyrics. Hypnotize the Moon belongs to Clay Walker. All references to story lines from the book and movie and song lyrics are done with utmost respect and full knowledge that they belong to SM, KC, and CW.

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**Chapter 5 Hypnotize the Moon**

Edward POV

After the weekend of the attack, Jasper and Alice became inseparable. Really not much changed except they were always touching and kissing. It took some getting used to, but I think they felt the more I was exposed to them, the faster I would become comfortable with it. I guessed it worked. Although I never said anything, them being a couple felt right, even if the brother in me cringed every time they kissed. That shit was just weird.

Now, Emmett and Rosalie felt right too, but they were more noticeable than Jasper and Alice. They were very demonstrative in their relationship whether they were fighting or making out. We all knew Rose's moods. Sometimes, being in the same room with them felt like I was watching a porn show. However, Rose never hesitated to hand Emmett his ass on a platter and he never hesitated to beg forgiveness. It worked for them.

I was happy for my friends but there were times I felt alone in the room. As we got to know Rose, she introduced me to her friends and I took several of them out but never clicked with anyone. I found myself wanting something more and I knew it had to do with my dreams. I had not had any more dreams of her at night but I started seeing her in strange places.

I could have sworn she was the new waitress at the diner but that ended up being Lauren, with straight hair. God help me, I couldn't go there. Lauren was nice enough, but her voice was like nails on a chalkboard. Then I thought I saw her in Mike's car, but it turned out to be Jessica who was trying out a darker look for fall, or at least that's what Alice said. I was driving myself crazy looking for a dream, but life goes on.

Summer passed in a haze of football practice during the week, working out, and hanging out with the crew. The team had taken the information we had learned at camp and brought it back with us to start a regimen of weight lifting and conditional training to get the whole team in better shape.

I had thought I was in good shape before camp; but during the summer, I had filled out. My shirts were tighter around the arms and chest, and I was proud to say I now had not a six-pack, but an eight pack of abs. Jasper and Emmett were the same. Jasper had even started running. Alice took the advice we had received and had a personal trainer come talk with her squad. They usually took over the exercise room once we left.

I was actually looking forward to school starting toward the end of August. The first Friday of school, we would have a scrimmage game against our big rivals, the Montesano Bulldogs. In preparation of the scrimmage game and the start of the season, we doubled up on practices the week before school started. Our mornings began at six, with workouts, and the day lasted until around seven in the evening. I usually grabbed a sandwich, showered, and passed out on my bed until the alarm went off for the next day. It was grueling but I knew that it would pay off in the end.

I barely saw my parents and I only saw more of Alice because she was on the field with us. She had the squad start later than we did, so that we didn't get into each other's way but they still worked hard.

The whole team was stoked about starting this season. The loss of James had shocked a few of the players but they recovered well. Laurent was still on the team but on probation. He had confessed that James had talked about getting to Alice but had not revealed any specific plans. Laurent had tried to talk him out of doing anything and was not aware that James had planned to attack Alice that night. The reason Laurent was put on probation was he knew there was a threat, and didn't bother to tell the authorities.

We finally started school the last week of August. The first couple of days were typical getting to know our schedules and teachers. We had always been popular, but with the notoriety of the camp and the effects of our weight training, we were stared at and approached more than ever before.

Alice staked her claim on Jasper the second day of school by grabbing him in the parking lot and kissing him senseless in front of everyone. When she finished, she smiled up at him, and said, "You're mine." She patted him on the butt, then turned and walked to class.

"Earth to Jasper!" I called out since he was still in a daze. "What was that about?"

"I don't think she appreciated all the phone numbers that got passed to me yesterday."

"What did you do with them?"

"Nothing, I just threw them away when I got home, but Alice got all quiet and then, well, um…I reassured her that I was only interested in her." He smirked.

"J! Now I need brain bleach. That's my sister you're smirking over."

"Yeah, well I don't think of her as your sister, but MY Alice."

"Come on; let's get to class before Eddie has a stroke thinking of Ali bumping uglies with J." Emmett added.

"For the love of all that's Holy, can we change the topic of conversation?"

I left the both of them laughing at me but managed to flip them off before entering the building. That only set them off more as their laughter got louder.

By the time Thursday afternoon rolled around, we were all dragging our feet. School all day and practices until late evening were draining us, but we knew it would be worth it. After our scrimmage on Friday, we would have the whole weekend off from practice.

We were a sorry looking crew as we entered the locker rooms to suit up. The usual laughter and ribbing of teammates was missing. What usually took us ten to fifteen minutes to dress, took over twenty minutes.

Coach Banner walked into the room and looked around. "Guys, I know it's been a long two weeks. You have all been giving me 110% of yourselves for practice and it shows. Nevertheless, tomorrow night, that's the first sight the town will have of you. They'll see you in your helmets, shoulder pads, and cleats and wish they were on the field too. YOU are what a lot of this town lives for. Win or lose they will be talking about you on Saturday morning while they are drinking coffee."

He glanced around the room surveying us. "I got a couple of films from the Bulldogs' practice this week. I'd like to take a look at the current stuff, then do a few sprints and you guys can call it an early night."

We all yelled out in favor of that and settled back to watch the videos. We were able to pick out several weaknesses from the other team before Coach even showed us. I felt proud of my team. Our spirit and morale had picked up by the time we wrapped up and started to head outside.

I grabbed my helmet and followed the team but stopped as we left the locker room entrance. While we had been meeting inside, the mowers had cut the field. I breathed in deep- the smell of fresh cut grass. Coach took the time to cut on the lights for the field. That smell and sight was equal to football and what we had been working toward for over four years.

We had regained our momentum and opted for a full practice session. Afterwards, I could barely remember the drive home and taking a quick shower before I fell into bed.

I woke up in the early morning to the feel of a cool hand touching the side of my face and combing through my hair. Thinking Mom had come into my room to check on me, I turned my head to speak, only to find my face buried in long brown hair that smelled like the ocean. I quickly lifted my hand to hers and entwined our fingers together. Her fingers were so small and my hand completely surrounded hers. I brought her knuckles up to my mouth and gently kissed each one.

I knew it was a dream but I wanted to cherish every moment of it. Instead of moving and pushing my dream girl away, I took our hands, tucked them under my chin, and just held her as tight as I could. Talk about holding on to a dream. I drifted back off to sleep feeling on top of the world.

Friday morning, I was stoked to get the day started. I pulled on my favorite pair of jeans and plain white t-shirt. We were wearing our blue jerseys today. It was a high school tradition to wear jerseys on game day and it was a rite of passage just like camp.

I met Emmett and Jasper in the parking lot and they were all hyped up too. It was the first game day of the season. We were wearing those jerseys as seniors and proud of it. We were the "Kings of the School."

As we walked the halls, we fist bumped other team members and razzed the junior varsity team. We were pumped full of ourselves but there had been a lot of sweat, bruises, and blood to get us there. All that we had gone through from camp, practices and the James incident bound us together. We had learned to protect and depend on each other.

By early afternoon, the whole school had caught on to the upbeat feeling. Everyone was buzzing and ready for the pep rally. As captain, I got to make the announcement to start the rally and any new information about the game.

Coach Banner showed up to the door of my biology class and didn't have to say a word. I nodded at him and grabbed my book bag. A cheer went up around the class and I was high fived as I walked out.

"You ready for your first announcement?"

"As ready as I will ever be. I think the school will explode if we don't start the rally soon."

He laughed, "Yeah, I got that feeling too. Don't forget, you are the last one to walk in the gym. You've earned it as a senior and as Captain."

"Yes, sir, I –"

Holy Shit! I thought I was going to collapse. I couldn't breathe as the door to the office opened. I bent over, bracing my hands on my knees trying to figure out what had happened.

"Edward, son, are you ok? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Coach forced out as he looked over me checking for injuries.

I closed my eyes and took a long, deep breath in. Coconuts, suntan oil, the ocean. That was all I could smell. And not just a whiff, but I felt enveloped in the smell.

"Do you smell that?" I had to know if this was real.

Coach looked at me funny but then sniffed and said, "What? The beach smell? Yeah, I smell it and it makes me want to take a swim."

Oh my God, I wasn't dreaming, and I wanted to do more than take a swim. I was worse than Pavlov's dog and that smell was a signal for me to get hard. I frantically looked around but didn't see anyone else in the office besides Coach, Mrs. Cope- the school secretary and me. They were looking at me like I had grown fangs and was getting ready to take a bite out of them.

Now I had a problem to deal with. And the way Mrs. Cope kept looking me over, it wouldn't be long before she noticed. Somehow, she still managed to ask me if I was okay in between checking me out.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I think I just need to sit a minute. That smell just caught me off guard and I don't know what the hell happened."

"Tsk, tsk, Edward, language while in school. You just have a seat and I'll get you a Coke to help you and get your blood going. You might be allergic to something or your sugar might be off; but my, that was a refreshing smell." She was still muttering to herself as she headed to the lounge.

I took her excuse like a lifeline and downed half the drink before I felt better. The smell was still in the air but I hoped if I distracted them, they would forget about me and my momentary lapse of reason.

"I'm feeling better so let's get this announcement out the way."

"You sure you feel up to it? I could do this one." Coach offered.

"No, I'm fine and like you said, it's my right." Actually making the announcement was dull in comparison to what had happened before it. People started rushing out the doors to head to the gym. Everyone was laughing and yelling. As people walked by the office and saw me still standing there, they pounded on the window telling me head out. With the rush of the pep rally and the cheers ringing out of the school, I wasn't able to ask Ms. Cope if anyone had been in the office. I was forced to move on to the gym.

I joined my team in the locker room and waited for our turn to run out the doors into the gym. The rest of the students entered the gym and sat together by grade. The seniors walked in after everyone else was seated. The cheerleaders were on the floor pumping the crowd up.

Once the gym was full, Alice had the varsity squad line up outside the door of the locker room and hold their pompoms overhead to create a tunnel for us to run through while the junior varsity squad continued cheering to the students in the bleachers. First, the underclassmen players ran out to the applause of the school. The sound of the crowd swelled as the seniors started out. They started stomping their feet to the beat of the cheers. I could feel the floor rumble and hear the chants as I followed my teammates out and ran up to the huddle of players in the middle of the gym.

I threw my fist up in the air and yelled "Spartans!" and the crowd responded with a roar that echoed the pounding of my heart.

Those same cheers and chants could still be heard during the game. It was fourth quarter and we were ahead by 14 points. This would be the first time in five years that we had won against the Bulldogs. It was our ball again and there were only thirty seconds left on the clock.

I could have taken a knee but wanted at least one more play. I knew there wasn't a lot of time left, but we were far enough in that if I could get the ball off to Jasper he could run it and possibly gain us another touchdown. I called out the play and set it in motion.

Looking for Jasper running along the sideline, my eye found a head of long brown hair walking down the stairs in the stands. I took another step back and shook my head. I looked up and Jasper was in perfect position. My mind was in turmoil but my body knew the actions. I threw the ball but instead of watching the field, I looked back to the stands.

There stood Chief Swan in the stands with my dream girl in front of him. Time stopped. I felt that I could see into her eyes and I was hypnotized. Even from that distance, I had no doubt that she was who I had been seeing in my dreams for almost a year. And that was all it took, because forever was changed with just that one look. She had touched my soul like no one else.

Unfortunately, for me, time had not stopped, and the next thing I felt was the weight of five hundred pounds of muscle knocking me to the ground. I lost more than my breath when they hit me because I had lost my heart with that look from the girl in my dreams.

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I hope it was all you expected! Let me know what you thought. ~CC


	6. Felt Good on My Lips

**Author's Note:** I think you know by now where I got the idea for this from. Thanks again to Cullen Concession and LasVegas TowGirls.

**Disclaimer: **Stephenie Meyer owns the characters and Kenny Chesney owns the song and lyrics. Felt Good on My Lips belongs to Tim McGraw. All references to story lines from the book and movie and song lyrics are done with utmost respect and full knowledge that they belong to SM, KC, and TM. I have used several phrases from the books and movies that I hope you enjoy!

Ok- Let's meet Bella!

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**Chapter 6 Felt Good on My Lips**

"Edward, what the hell was that?" Emmett asked, as he came into the locker room.

"What do you mean? I should be asking you, where the hell were you, to allow me to get knocked on my ass."

Jasper stepped in between us, to stop the conversation from becoming an argument. "Edward, you've got to admit that was unusual out there. What's going on, man?"

I turned my back to them, as I started getting stuff out of my locker for my shower. "I don't really know. I just…I lost focus for minute."

Jasper clasped a hand on my shoulder and replied, "Dude, out there on the field- Never lose focus."

"I know. I get it. I can't really explain it. Can you guys just let it go? Coach is already gonna chew my ass out. I just want to get changed and grab a bite to eat."

I quickly turned away from them and made my way to the showers. I was so frustrated with myself. I couldn't believe that I had allowed myself to be knocked down on the field like that. Especially in front of her. Luckily, I had gotten up on my own before the coaches ran out to me. Since the play ended up in a touchdown, I would only get a minor chewing out, but it was still a mark on my pride.

"Cullen! Hurry up and get your butt in my office." Coach Banner yelled into the locker room. I rushed through my shower and headed into the office. When he shut the door, I knew, I was in for it.

"Edward, not sure what happened out there for you to have gotten unofficially sacked. Nevertheless, I know you are beating yourself up over it, more than I ever could. So, let's not let it happen again. Since you played the rest of the game perfectly, we'll call it a night. Alright?" I nodded, because I really didn't want to explain anything to him.

"If any of the guys ask though, I handed you your head. Understand?"

"Sure, Coach."

I finally made it to my car, and was able to think about what had happened. Bella. Chief Swan had told us that was his daughter's name. Bella. It fit her. I couldn't wait to meet her for real. Shit, what would I say? Bella. I loved saying her name, and the way it felt on my lips. I wondered if she had been at the school this afternoon and registered for classes, leaving her scent in the office. I reasoned, if my dream of how she looked was right, then maybe, her scent would be the same.

I pulled my car into Waylon's, and headed in to meet the rest of the gang. At least, I would have the rest of the weekend to get my A game in action. I forgot about Alice, and how she was always one-step ahead of everyone else.

When I walked into the pool hall, a round of cheers went up. I high fived and fist bumped my way to our table. Although the score wouldn't count for the season, we had won by twenty-one points. I was proud of the team. Over the summer, we had hung out here enough that we had our own official table, and Waylon kept it reserved for us.

Most of the team had already arrived, and the place was packed. Even Rosalie had beaten me here from Port Angeles after cheering at their game.

Alice intercepted me, before I reached the table and gave me a hug. She looped her arm through mine, as we made our way to the table. "Edward, that was a great game! I can't believe what happened at the end. Everyone was too busy watching the ball, and Jasper running the touchdown, to even notice you were knocked down."

"Well, let's keep it that way. Ok, Ali?" I grimaced.

"Eddie, my man, in a real game, we wouldn't let them get to you. We've always got your back." Emmett offered an excuse in a rare moment of seriousness.

I looked over at him and nodded my appreciation of letting the subject drop, when I caught that smell. Fuck, she was here. My whole body tensed. I wasn't ready to meet her. I hadn't planned what I was going to say or do. I was a planner, I needed more time to figure this out. Alice still had my arm, so she felt me tense up, and looked at me. She stared at me, and then tilted her head like she was deep in thought.

"So, I need to introduce the last member of our little gang here- Edward, my twin."

Alice surprised me with that, so I looked up to see who she was talking to. And there, behind Rosalie, was Bella. If I thought I had been ensnared on the field, it was nothing compared to what I was feeling when she looked into my eyes. I wasn't lost, I was found. I felt like I could see my soul in her eyes.

I realized I needed to say something before everyone thought I had lost my mind. I smiled my mom's favorite crooked smile at her and said, "My name is Edward Cullen, and you must be Bella Swan."

"H-how do you know my name?" she stammered out, while holding my stare.

I chuckled and responded simply, "Chief Swan." Fortunately, Alice chimed in to fill her in on seeing Chief Swan during the summer, and him telling us about her arrival.

I was busy trying to come up with what else I could say or do, to get her to talk some more. While, I had been daydreaming, the girls had gotten up to head to the bathroom. Alice never went alone anymore since the attack. I watched them as they crossed the room.

Just as they were going around the corner, Bella looked back to the table and met my eyes. I had just enough control of myself not to fist pump the air, but I did manage to wink before she turned around.

I wasn't going to play games. I wanted to get to know her, and I wasn't going to be shy about letting her know that.

Our interaction didn't go unnoticed. Jasper interrupted my thoughts with his comment, "So is that what, or should I say who, caught your attention earlier tonight?"

Throwing caution to the wind, I decided it was time to let my friends know, I was interested. "Yeah, I saw her in the stands, but I'd appreciate if you kept that news to yourself."

Realizing the real reason I had been hit in the game, Emmett couldn't let it go without at least one comment, "So, she literally knocked you off your feet." He was laughing so hard by the time he finished; I thought he was going to fall out his chair. I wondered if there was a way to push him out of it.

"At least she didn't knock your socks off." Jasper interjected. They went back and forth with the comments until we saw the girls coming back. I gave them both the evil eye and told them, "Shut up. Pick on me all you want, but leave her out of this, asswipes."

They both nodded at me, but kept laughing. The girls had stopped at the bar to get us drinks, and to place orders for some snacks. None of us ate before a game, so we were always starving afterwards. Emmett could almost eat everything on the menu by himself, so the girls were getting a variety.

As they came back to the table, Bella took the seat beside me and placed my drink in front of me. I couldn't believe she chose to sit by me. Just as I was trying to come up with something to say, she started to talk.

"I know it was just a scrimmage, but that was a great game. Jasper, I couldn't believe you caught that pass, and then ran it for a touchdown. We all thought the game was over. Charlie and I had gotten up to miss the crowds. Of course, that's when Alice saw me and came over to invite me to hang out tonight."

Emmett and Jasper started snickering at this point, realizing that when she got ready to leave, was when I had noticed her. The girls looked at them funny, wondering why they were laughing.

"Oh, yeah, it's not over until Eddie's on his knees, not his back." Emmett was on a roll with his comments. That comment just brought out full-blown guffaws from both of them.

I knew that anything I said would only make it worse, so I remained silent, hoping they would drop it.

"So, you like football?" Damn. That was the best line I could come up with? I deserved every bit of whatever Emmett threw at me.

"Honestly, not really, but Charlie does. But I do like to support the school, so I will go to most of the games."

Alice decided to butt in and asked, "Were you involved in activities at your other school? Oh, where were you, before you moved here?"

"Hmm, I went to school last year in Phoenix, but my mom and her new husband moved to Jacksonville, Florida over the summer, so I was there for a couple of months. But no, I don't participate in sports."

"No cheering, dancing, band- anything?" Alice couldn't let it go.

"No, I have the tendency to trip over air, so no; those things just don't work out for me, or anyone else in a ten foot radius of me."

Before Alice could say anything else, I asked, "Why did you move to Forks, when you were in Jacksonville?"

"It's kind of complicated."

"I think I can keep up." I answered.

"Well, here goes the short version. My mom and Phil just got married. He plays minor league baseball and travels some, but he is based out of Jacksonville. My mom was staying home with me, rather than traveling with him, and I knew she preferred to be on the road with him. I was going to have to change schools, so I decided to come to stay with my dad for awhile, and give the newlyweds some time on their own."

I grinned at her. "And the long version?"

She looked down at the table for a moment, and then looked back at me. The brown eyes that had been sparkling and full of laughter, were lifeless, and she looked so lost. I wanted to remove that feeling, and hated that I had asked a question, that caused such a reaction.

I reached for her hand and held it in my own. I gently rubbed her knuckles as I said, "It's okay, Bella. I don't need to know. I just wanted to get to know you, and I will listen if you ever want, or need, to talk. You're too beautiful to look so sad." I raised my hand, and slowly stroked a finger across her cheek.

She blushed at my comment. After a little more conversation, we decided to play pool. It was guys against gals for the first round. It didn't take long for us to realize, that Bella had no clue how to play. Rose and Alice tried to tell her which ball to aim for, but she needed help learning the basics. With all six of us playing, the first game didn't last long.

I offered to partner up with Bella on the next game, and show her how to really play. She smiled and agreed, so we played against Jasper and Alice. Rose and Emmett disappeared, but I could not have told you when, because my attention was all on Bella.

As Bella's turn got closer, the more nervous I became. I was going to be able to touch her, and I thought I might be in heaven. As Alice was lining up her shot, I walked to Bella's side and leaned down, to point out how Alice was holding the cue stick.

That was my first mistake. I should have known that being that close to her, I would be able to smell her. There was that fucking ocean smell, which had me hard with my first breath.

My second mistake was staying close enough to keep breathing her in. I groaned with the next inhale. I looked at her, hoping she hadn't heard me, but I was out of luck.

She was looking back at me through her lashes with one eyebrow raised. "Problem, Edward?"

Third mistake was talking without a filter. "Hell, yes. Your smell is so…gah; I don't know. I just want to bury myself in you." Oh my God, I did not just say that to her. I think I groaned again, but this time in embarrassment.

She closed her eyes briefly, then opened them and looked straight at me and said, "It's a new scent that I picked up in Florida. I was tired of strawberry." She licked her lips, walked to the table, then turned and winked.

She was going to be the death of me, but I was going to enjoy every step. I watched as she picked up the cue stick, and held it all wrong. I took a deep breath, trying to get a hold of myself. I glanced at Alice and Jasper on the other side of the table, hoping they were occupied with each other, but for once, they weren't.

Alice was sitting in Jasper's lap, and they were both watching Bella and I, like a movie. They even had popcorn. Jasper was wriggling his eyebrows, and Alice couldn't stop grinning. I rolled my eyes at their antics.

I walked up to Bella's side to help her. "If you change your stance, it will help you line the ball up with the pocket. You're holding the stick like a fishing pole. You need to cradle it more like a rifle." I moved her right hand back toward the end, then moved her left hand in front of her, and showed her how to balance the cue stick on her fingers. I placed my hands on her hips to bring her a step back, when I heard her gasp from my touch. For now, I just ignored that sound and started talking again.

"You bring your lower body out, to balance, while you lean toward the table, so you can line up your shot." Not moving from behind her, I left my right hand on her hip, and took my left hand and put a little pressure on her shoulders for her to lean down, then positioned her left hand. I was mimicking her stance over her, and it was all I could do, not to lean forward and touch her with my whole body.

I felt warmth and energy from where I touched her hip and hands. I would have gladly stayed like that all night long, but Jasper intruded into my moment.

"Bella, are you ever going to play, or you going to stand there all night?"

"Shut up, Jasper. You've only just removed your tongue from Alice's throat, and I didn't hear you complaining then!" Bella retorted. I smiled, thinking she was fitting in just fine with the group.

"Touché, Bella, touché." Jasper chuckled. We resumed playing, and Emmett and Rosalie showed back up. Alice decided for every ball we missed, we had to tell Bella something about ourselves, and vice-versa.

We were having fun and getting to know Bella, at the same time. I didn't want the night to end, but the week was taking its toll on us. Alice started yawning, and decided it was time to go.

Just as I was worrying about how to see Bella on Saturday, Alice piped in, "So Bella, you still planning on watching movies with us tomorrow afternoon, and then spending the night with me and Rose?" I would have kissed Alice, if I wouldn't have seemed weird. Bella stopped, as she was walking toward her truck.

"Yeah, see you around lunchtime, Alice." Bella smiled back at us and waved, as she got into her truck to drive home.

I walked over to my Volvo in a daze. I didn't even realize Alice was in the passenger seat, until she cleared her throat. I looked over to her and raised a brow.

"I really think you should let me drive home, Edward. You are in no condition to drive. I mean, I talked to you the whole way to the car, and then you look at me in surprise when you see me sitting here. I think you got your senses knocked out of you tonight."

"That still doesn't tell me why you are here, instead of with Jasper."

"Well, if you had been paying attention to anyone besides Bella, you would know, now wouldn't you?"

I decided silence was my friend, and of course, that drove Alice crazy.

"Ok, ok, don't twist my arm. Jazz is tired, just like you, and I was concerned about him. He would have basically just been following you to our house, then turning around to go back home, so I told him I would just ride with you. And then you agreed, Mr. Clueless."

"Ali, you know I don't mind giving you a ride. I just wanted to make sure everything was ok with you and 'Jazz'." I even included finger air quotes for her nickname for Jasper.

"Everything is perfect with Jazz." I swore she sighed at the end of that statement. I hoped if she started thinking about Jasper that would stop any questions about Bella, but I should have known better.

"So, you and Bella?" I glanced over at her to judge how serious this conversation was going to be. I couldn't tell anything by the way she looked, and decided just to jump in.

"Yeah, if things go right. I mean, of course, she's beautiful on the outside, but I think she is on the inside, too, and that's just as important to me. I want to get to know her."

"Oh, Edward, I agree. She seems great and just fit in with the group so easy. I can't wait to get to know her, too."

"There's more going on though. You should have seen the look in her eyes when I asked for the longer story about her mom. She looked so sad and heartbroken. I wanted to take those feelings away for her."

"Really? I wasn't paying attention, but I will tomorrow. Maybe we can bring happiness back into her life."

I mumbled out, "I plan to." I wasn't sure if Alice heard me, but she had the biggest smile on her face, as we pulled into the garage.

I wanted to think about everything that had happened, but sleep won the battle. I managed to sleep in the next morning until around ten, and after I woke up, I laid there, playing out the events from the night before.

I couldn't believe what I had said to Bella, while we were playing pool. Luckily, she didn't seem offended. There were moments last night where she seemed so shy, and then others where she was very confident. I wondered if she felt the same connection to me, that I felt with her.

I was serious when I told Alice that I thought Bella was beautiful on the inside. When she shared the story about why she moved to Forks with me, it showed how selfless she was. We, also, talked about her cooking for her parents. Bella was a natural caregiver. I couldn't think of anything that I had learned about Bella, which I didn't like.

I was surprised at how protective I felt, when she was so sad. I would have done anything, to change that for her, or help her get past it. I looked at the time, and realized another thirty minutes had passed. I quickly got up and headed downstairs.

Emmett and Jasper were sitting at the kitchen table eating pancakes. Mom handed me a plate as I walked in the door. "I was getting ready to send Alice in to wake you up, sleepy head."

"Sorry, Mom. It's been a long week."

"I know, sweetie. I was proud of you boys last night. It was a good game. You all deserve to sleep in or some extra treats." As she said that, she brought out several containers, and opened them up.

Emmett about knocked the table over, getting out of his chair. "Mama Es, you baked!" He moaned, as he grabbed a brownie and a blondie. "You are my hero."

"Finish your breakfast, Emmett." She smiled, as she chided him. "So, what are the plans for today?"

Alice walked in and answered, "Mom, we met Chief Swan's daughter last night, and I invited her to come over and spend the night, if she can. I just want to hang out with her and get to know her. We'll probably watch some movies, then do some girl stuff later on when Rose gets here."

Mom covered the food back up. "That's wonderful, sweetheart. What's her name? What's she like?"

"Bella is her name, but Edward can tell you more about what she is like. He talked to her more than anyone else did." Mom's attention immediately came to me.

I almost choked, when I heard Alice say that. When my coughing fit died down, I kicked her in the shin under the table. If looks could kill, we both would have been dead.

Mom cleared her throat, and we both stopped our staring contest and looked at her. "So, Edward, what's Bella like?"

I decided to keep it simple, and acted like it wasn't a big deal. "She's a senior like us, and just moved from Florida to live with her dad."

"Hmmm, anything else?" She smirked at me. My mom smirked at me, as if she knew what I was thinking.

"Uh, she can't play pool?" It came out more as a question than a sentence. However, Emmett had to stick his two cents in.

"True. But Mama Es, your boy there, he tried to teach her how to handle the stick." Fuck my life. I couldn't believe he said that, in front of my mom. Once again, I kicked my foot out but this time, I put as much force behind it as I could.

What happened next, was like a scene right out of _America's Funniest Videos_. Emmett was so shocked by my kick, that he yelled out, "Damn, Eddie, that hurt!" At the same time, he jumped up out of his chair. He didn't realize that Jasper's foot was resting on the chair rail, so the chair stayed still, while Emmett came up. His thighs caught the edge of the table, causing it to tip forward. He stepped back, only to trip over Jasper's foot.

Emmett ended up flat on his back. The table was turned over, while the food and plates were scattered around the breakfast nook. We were all in shock, as we glanced at the mess.

I had to hand it to my mom. She was so used to Emmett; she just looked at us and said, "Language, Emmett. I expect this to be cleaned up, by the time I come back downstairs." She walked out the room, as we stared at the mess.

Alice was the first to break the silence with a giggle, and of course, Jasper followed behind her. We all broke into laughter, as I stood up and offered my hand to Emmett to help him up. It took very little time, with all four us working, to clean up.

Jasper decided to mention the incident. "Edward, I didn't realize you were interested in switching positions on the team." I looked at him, wondering if he was crazy.

"What?"

"If you want to be a kicker, then you should practice on the field, and not under the breakfast table."

"Shut the hell up!" I coughed out trying to hide my laughter before turning to Emmett. "I can't believe you said THAT in front of my mom!"

"Blame it on those brownies. They lowered my brain functioning ability."

I shook my head. I knew Emmett hadn't meant any real harm with what he said. "Come on, I feel like kicking your ass in bowling."

We headed downstairs to set up the Wii. Alice kissed Jasper quickly, and told him she'd be down later, after she finished a few things upstairs.

When the doorbell rang a couple of hours later, it took every ounce of will power I had, not to run to the door. I heard Alice yell from upstairs for Jasper. He left to see what she wanted. Emmett and I continued to play, but I kept watching the door.

"You know, Alice is probably gonna show her around first, before she brings her down here." Emmett said, once he realized I wasn't paying attention to the game anymore. He even turned the system off, and just left the tv playing.

"You're right, man. Was I that obvious?"

He laughed out loud. "Uh, you might as well tattoo 'Belongs to Bella' across your forehead."

"Man, be serious."

"I am. Look, Edward, we've been friends a long time. I think all we want for each other is to be happy. Rose makes me happy, and Alice makes Jasper happy. We want that for you, too. Bella seems to do that, and if she does, we are cool with it. We'll help you out, might give you shit while we help, but we will. We've got your back." He leaned over to give me a fist bump. "Now, enough of this girly, feel good, emo- shit. Let's go find something to eat."

As we were getting up, Alice and Bella came in the room.

"And this is the basement- where we hang out most of the time, when we aren't at Waylon's. Can you guys go help Jasper bring lunch down?"

We nodded, greeted Bella, then headed upstairs. I felt like Alice was up to something, sending us out of the room, but I trusted her. Mom had set out chicken tenders and hot wings, along with fries for lunch.

I kissed her on the cheek, as she set out different sauces. "Thanks, Mom. You're the best."

"You're welcome, honey. By the way, you didn't mention that Bella is beautiful." She raised her brow, when she looked at me.

"I didn't? I really didn't notice." I shrugged, as I grabbed the plates to escape out the kitchen.

"I bet you didn't notice. You are your father's son, you know. I'll leave it for now."

I smiled at her, as I practically ran out the room. At least Emmett had kept his mouth shut, which was a miracle. We set the food down on the coffee table in front of the couch. Jasper was getting drinks out of our kitchenette area.

As I sat down, I realized that Alice was in Jasper's seat at the other end of the couch, and Bella was in the middle. Sitting beside me. I glanced at Alice, and she nodded toward Bella and winked. If we had stayed in the room, Bella would have sat in the other chair that Jasper used to sit in. This way, she was closer to me. God, I loved Alice. She even kept Jasper running around, getting extra stuff, as she fixed his plate.

By the time he came back into the room, with the special napkins Alice wanted, we had all fixed our plates and settled in to watch the last episode of _Being Human_.

"Thank you, babe. I have your plate ready. Bella, could you slide over just a little and share the middle with me, so Jasper can sit in his usual?" She phrased it in a way that Bella wouldn't move off the couch completely.

"Sure, Alice. I could always mo-" Bella tried to say before Alice interrupted.

"No, no. We're fine. I want you beside me, and both of us only need one little section."

Bella just chuckled, and moved closer to me. I made it look like I attempted to move a little closer to the arm of the couch but, in fact, didn't move at all. I grinned at Bella and said, "It's ok, I don't bite- hard."

She blushed and smiled back at me, but looked down at her plate in her lap. I guessed we have shy Bella this afternoon. That was fine by me, because I wanted to know all of her.

We watched the show while we ate, and then talked about what we wanted to do. Physical activity was vetoed quickly since we were so busy during the week. So, we decided on a Harry Potter marathon. Everyone had seen the movies, but it had been awhile, so it would be ok to talk during the movies or miss part of it, as Emmett would, when he left to go pick up Rose.

Jasper and I popped the recliners out at the same time and laughed when the girls jumped. Emmett dimmed the lights, and we started _Harry_ _Potter_ _and the Sorcerer's Stone. _Since I had a full stomach, the lights were low, and I could feel Bella along the left side of my body, I fell asleep about a third of the way into the movie.

I woke up to Emmett putting in the next movie. I noticed several things that were different, from when I went to sleep. First, I was covered with a blanket. Next, my head was leaning on Bella's arm, and her feet were propped on the footrest beside mine. I thought I might be in heaven, and wondered how long I could pretend to be asleep.

Turned out not long, since Bella needed to get up. She gently lifted my head up, and moved me back toward the headrest. Her hand lingered just an extra moment, and I felt her fingers run through my hair. I was surprised I was able to stay quiet, as she got up and told Alice she would be right back.

Emmett nudged my foot to 'wake' me up. "I'm heading out to pick up Rose. We'll be back in a bit."

"Alright, man. See ya."

"Bye, Emmett. Be careful and I'll see you when you get back." Bella called out, as he headed out the door, and she came back into the room. "_Chamber of Secrets_ is next, right? I can't wait for the Goblet one. That's my favorite."

"We can skip ahead." I offered, but she just shook her head.

"Nah, I haven't seen them in forever, so I can wait. Your mom is great, by the way."

"Most of the time." I agreed with her, but noticed she had wrapped her arms around her body, as she sat back down. "Are you cold?"

"A little. It was so warm here on the couch snuggled up with everybody, that the air in the room seems cool."

Alice butted in with, "We do keep it a little cooler down here especially in the summer. That's why we keep these big blankets around. E, share your blanket before she freezes!"

At this rate, I was going to owe Alice a Porsche, for all her favors. I quickly spread my blanket out for Bella. She blushed as it settled over her, but then she started wrapping herself up in it.

"Mmmm, it's so warm from you." She looked like she was curling up inside of it, and all I could see were her eyes. "It even smells like you."

"I hope that's a good thing."

"Yeah, it's a good thing."

"You know the original is right here." I whispered. I needed to touch her again, so I slowly lifted my hand and reached over to where her hands were clasped together. She followed my movements with her eyes. I covered her hand with mine, and then lifted it away to bring it closer to me. "Is this ok?"

She simply nodded. I brought her hand up to my lips, and kissed her knuckles. I intertwined our fingers and settled our hands on my leg. With smiles on both our faces, we sat close together and watched more Harry.

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Note: Whew! I hope that was all you wanted it to be. Please let me know what you thought.

One more note- if you would like to read a grown up version of the pool scene and what might happen, if they were adults, check out Prairie Fire by stillwaters72. It's in my favorites. It's a great, hot o/s Farmerward.

CC


	7. This Kiss

**A/N: I'm sorry I make you guys wait. I had a lot more planned out for this chapter but I ended up feeling like I needed to break it up so I did. Hope you enjoy it! Lots of love and thanks to Cullen Concession and LasVegas TowGirls. They are both so quick, and I take full advantage of them :)**

**Disclaimer: SM owns the characters, Kenny owns the fic title, and the song for the chapter belongs to Faith Hill. Their kiss belongs to me!**

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**Chapter 7 This Kiss**

The past two weeks had been a mixture between heaven and hell. Alice had found a best friend in Bella, and they were attached at the hip. They were like ying and yang. Alice had her endless energy, and Bella radiated a gentle calmness that reminded me of Jasper.

Alice was busy trying to make Bella an unofficial member of the squad. So far, she had Bella watching them at practice and being a spotter in the bleachers. Bella was supposed to let Alice know if the routine was off or if it worked well. More often than not, Bella was buried in a book, but the most important thing was, she was there.

And that meant I got to see her too. Even if it was from a distance, most of the time. I didn't want to crowd her, and make her feel like we had to be a couple in our group. I hoped I had made my intentions clear, though. We flirted, held hands, and usually sat together when we were at my house.

I figured she had had enough time to get to know the people here and meet new friends. Time was up for me and I was ready to move forward, so I planned to ask her out after practice today. It was Monday, so that should be plenty of notice for a Saturday date. I had never been so nervous in all my all life.

School was agonizingly slow. I felt like it lasted for decades. My nerves made me grumpy. I wasn't prepared to be pounded on my back at my locker.

"What the hell?" I swung around to see who was hitting me.

"Hey, Edward, did ya hear? Our rings are in, man. I can't wait to get mine." Mike almost shouted. "Plus, I heard coach might be handing out pins for our jackets."

"And that required you using me as a punching bag?" I replied snarkily.

"Nah, I'm just anxious to ask Lauren to wear mine, you know." Tyler piped in.

"So, let me get this straight. You pay all that money for a ring that you will only wear for about a year, and then for at least part of that year you are gonna give it to a chick?" Eric asked.

"You got it. It's a rite of passage, man. Everybody knows that in high school, your girl is supposed to wear your class ring and your letterman jacket. Makes it official." Mike interjected.

"And you need to officially hand in your man card, Mike. You've been hanging out with the cheerleaders a little too much." Eric joked.

I stepped into the conversation before it could get heated. "What's this about coach?"

"There's a rumor going round that since some of us had to order new letterman jackets due to our new muscles, he is going to give us our pins and letters today because a big ol' shipment came in on Saturday."

I groaned thinking my day would never end. Practice seemed to take forever and then coach talked about having a meeting to pass out our letterman jackets afterwards. Mike was right. He was such a chick sometimes the way he kept up with gossip.

I hurried through my shower so I could find Bella before our meeting. Luckily, when I came out of the locker room, she was in her usual spot.

I walked over to her sitting on the bleachers waiting for Alice to finish up. I smiled as I sat down on the row in front of Bella and leaned back on my elbows so that I was looking up at her.

"I can't believe Alice has you out here."

"Yeah, it's just easier for her to think I am here for her. I just do my homework or read while I am here. It's not that big of a deal. She's trying to get me to wear a uniform though. She was saying something like I'm a part of the team even if I am just a spotter, so I should look like them. She's not sold me on it so far." Bella replied and shook her head.

The motion caused her hair to fall out of its bun and brush against my shoulder and arm. I quickly moved by hand and captured a lock that I proceeded to twirl around my finger. My head was stuck on a vision of her in a cheerleading skirt.

"Sorry about that. My hair has a mind of its own sometimes."

"I don't mind. You know I love how it smells."

"I think I have noticed that about you. I kinda expect to find your nose buried in it at any time." She laughed at me.

"Sorry, my nose has a mind of its own." I repeated her statement back to her.

"I don't mind."

"So would you mind going out with me Saturday night?" I finally manned up, and just asked the question.

I looked up to her with hope in my eyes, but what I saw made my heart clench in rejection.

"Edward, I can't."

"Umm, ok. I have to be honest here, I wasn't expecting that. But it's alright, I need to run, I've got a meeting with the coach." I leaned forward, got ready to stand, and was avoiding her eyes.

"No, wait, Edward!" She reached out to grab my shoulder to stop me from moving but managed to end up falling forward into my lap.

Even with the earlier rejection, I couldn't help but chuckle. She really could trip over air. What surprised me though, was instead of scrambling to get up; she turned around so she was sitting sideways in my lap with her legs dangling off the side. She placed her arm around my shoulders, to keep herself steady.

I was still avoiding looking at her directly. "You really should be more careful." I wasn't sure where to put my hands, so I left them braced beside me, holding on to the bleacher.

"Tell me something I don't already know. Edward, I wasn't saying no. I would love to go out with you. I just can't go on Saturday. Part of the deal of me coming to live with Charlie, is that I have to go back and visit my mom every so often. This is my first trip back."

She then reached over, grabbed my hand, and intertwined our fingers in her lap. The hand on my shoulder started gently tapping against me.

"Alright. So, some other time?" I asked.

"Yeah, I really want that." She said as she began to play with my fingers.

"Are you going to Florida? When?" I brought my other hand to her to hip, under the guise of keeping her from falling, but it was really, so I could touch more of her.

"My flight leaves Friday night, and I come back Sunday afternoon. I'm hoping I can convince her to keep these visits to holidays."

"Yeah, but I guess you really miss your mom."

"In a way, I do. In others, not so much. I have fewer responsibilities here, and I needed the change."

"Well, I'm glad you made the change. So, maybe the next weekend?" I hated to put off officially taking her out, but I didn't feel like I had a choice at the moment.

"I don't think I want to wait that long. Why don't we spend some time together, just us, Thursday?"

"I think that sounds perfect." We were staring into each other's eyes, and both of us had grins on our faces. I slowly took my hand out of hers and stroked her cheek with my fingertips. She closed her eyes at my touch and blushed.

When she opened her eyes, I tilted her face up with my index finger under her chin. "I think I need you like the air I breathe." Not losing contact with her eyes, I slowly moved forward. I felt like my heart had started beating triple time. I moved my hand around to cup the side of her neck, and applied a small pressure to bring her a little closer.

I wanted to give her time to stop me, but prayed that she wouldn't. With an internal fist pump, I finally touched my lips to hers in our first kiss. I started light with a gentle touch of our lips together and when I felt it being returned, proceeded to add a little more pressure. I wanted nothing more than to push my tongue out and taste her lips, but I wanted to keep this moment sweet. I placed several small kisses along her lips before I pulled back to look at her face.

She was smiling up at me. I brushed my thumb across her cheek one more time before I released her.

Bella recaptured my hand in her lap, and then lifted my index finger that I had used to lift her face and stroke her skin. She ran her own finger along the length of mine then said, "And I think I need you and this is my 'need you' finger."

Before I could ask her what she meant, Jasper came over to get me for the meeting. He looked at our position and just raised his eyebrows at me, but kept silent.

"Call you later?" I asked her, as I stood up to head to the meeting.

"Yeah." She winked at me, as she started packing her stuff up.

I hated to leave her, but knew I had other responsibilities, which reminded me of Bella's earlier comment. I was anxious to learn more about her.

I couldn't tell you much about the meeting since I was planning for our Thursday evening out. I decided to take Bella to my special spot, a meadow, where I go to be alone and just think.

I grabbed my new jacket and varsity pins as soon as the meeting wrapped up. Like Mike had mentioned before, our class rings had come in, and I had picked mine up earlier in the day. I stuck it in my pocket, without any further thought.

I was impatient to call her that night, and when I was finally able to, we talked on the phone for two hours. We decided to just ask each other questions, but both of us had to answer. I learned that her favorite color was green, she was allergic to cats, she wanted siblings, and loved music. She learned my favorite color was brown, we had had a variety of pets over the years, and I liked being a twin, loved music so much that I played the piano and that the gang had an unofficial band.

As we talked that night, I finally took my ring out and put in on my finger. I wasn't use to wearing jewelry, so the weight felt strange. But like so many other things, it was another rite that I would do with pride. I wondered if Bella would ever consider wearing my ring, being my girl. Another dream that I hoped would come true.

We had reached a new level in our friendship, and I hoped a step closer toward a relationship. I met her in the mornings at her truck and walked with her to class. We deliberately sat next to each other when we could. After practice, I would walk her back to her truck where we exchanged a quick kiss.

Those kisses were so short and sweet, but I knew she tasted like strawberries and that the right side of her bottom lip was chapped from biting it so much. I couldn't wait to experience more with her, but I was content not to rush things and just enjoy. Almost as good as the kisses were our phone calls in the evenings. We were getting to know each other, and she was starting to open up about her life with her mom.

I knew she was looking forward to the visit, but dreaded it at the same time. She realized that it was going to be a quick trip, and that there would not be enough time to do everything she wanted. There were a few friends that she wanted to see but kept saying she wouldn't have time. I suggested maybe they could all meet for breakfast on Sunday before her flight, but she told me that her mom already had plans. I was able to extract a promise from her to at least call me when she got there and when she was getting ready to leave, but she could call me whenever she had free time.

As slow as Monday was, the rest of the week flew by. Before I knew it, it was Thursday afternoon and practice was over. After I showered, I grabbed the backpack that I had packed that morning with snacks, water, and a blanket. I went outside and found Bella in her usual spot on the bleachers, but she was surrounded by our friends.

I was amazed, and happy, with how much a part of the group, Bella was now. They had accepted her, and not because of my interest or even as Alice's best friend. Since Alice had found out Bella was leaving for the weekend, I had to battle her to spend time with Bella. As I walked up, I could hear Alice talking.

"But Bella, I won't get to talk to you until Monday. Can't you just come over to the house and watch a movie so we can all hang out?" We hadn't shared with anyone that we were spending the evening together, so I couldn't fault Alice for trying to reschedule our date.

Bella smiled at me and then shrugged at Alice, giving me a look as if to ask what should she do. I decided to interrupt.

"Sorry, Ali. She's all mine tonight." Ignoring everyone else including Alice, I reached for Bella's hand. When I felt it in mine, I pulled her up and off the bleachers, and we headed to my car. Once there, we both turned and waved.

Alice was still standing there in mild shock, with her mouth open. She put her hands on her hips, several expressions crossed her face- anger, frustration, elation- and then she looked smug.

"About damn time. It took you long enough!" She yelled out to us.

Bella surprised me by calling back, "Slow and steady wins the race. Bye Emmett, Jasper, Alice!"

I shut her car door and walked around to my side, where I put the backpack in the back seat and got in the car. When I looked at Bella, we both broke out in laughter.

"Possessive much?" She asked between giggles.

As I headed the car toward my meadow, I turned to her and winked. "With you? Yeah."

We were silent for most of the ride, just listened to music, and commented on the songs and bands. I drove in as close as I could to the trail.

"It's about a ten minute walk from here, but the trail isn't too bad." I explained, as I got the pack out of the back and walked around to help her out of the car. I didn't release her hand after she stood up, but kept it in mine as we started to walk.

"So tell me about some of those pets you've had over the years."

"Hmm, should I include the ones that I shared custody with Emmett?"

"Oh, God, poor animals. I can only imagine why they didn't survive. But yeah, start with those."

"Well, our first pet was a lizard. We found it on the playground at daycare, and decided to take him home. I should have known then, Emmett couldn't be trusted with animals, but it took me a few years to figure it out. Anyway, we named the lizard, Donnie. Emmett came up with the idea to put him in his lunchbox to take Donnie home. So, we did, but then forgot about him when we got to Emmett's house, and didn't say anything to his mom. She opens the lunchbox, and Donnie jumps out. She screams, which scares us, but we soon realize its Donnie. We start to chase him. Emmett grabs him by the tail, and of course, the tail came off, but we didn't know that could happen. We thought Donnie was dead. We go find an old box to bury him in and just as we pet him one last time, Donnie moves around. We thought we had brought him back to life by petting him. We decided that the box would now be his new home instead of a casket. We put some grass in there, and took a lid from a coke bottle and put water in it. It was fine for a couple of days, but I guess Donnie was smarter than we were. He was gone by the weekend. I think Emmett forgot to put the lid back on it but hey, it was a crude little shelter for a critter. Emmett wanted to have a burial service, but I was just as adamant that without a body, we couldn't bury him. Emmett searched the garage area for days trying to find Donnie. Looking back now, our moms were probably laughing their heads off at us looking for an escaped lizard outside."

The memory of Donnie made me smile and laugh. At five years old, neither one of us were ready for a pet, but it didn't stop us from trying. Emmett's attachment to Donnie was as if we had him for years instead days.

Bella was laughing so hard, she had tears in her eyes. "Oh, I can just picture mini-Emmett running around looking for a lizard, while you stand there and argue that he can't bury it. I wonder how many times your parents told that tale."

"I think I'll save the story of our next pet, Comet the hamster, for another day."

"Yeah, that might be better. But at least tell me, did you have a burial service for Comet?"

I was actually a little embarrassed to tell this story. "Well, no body no burial."

"So, you had another pet escape?"

"Honestly, I think he just moved out to live with his girlfriend."

"Wait, what? His girlfriend?"

"A few months after Comet disappeared, we found several baby Comets. Emmett even made up birth announcements. His mom refused to let us bring them in from the barn though. She kept saying if you sleep with rats, you had to live with them and we could never understand what she meant."

"Holy smokes, so the girlfriend was a rat?"

"From what we could figure out. I thought you wanted me to save the story."

"I did, but you keep telling me little pieces of it. Would the babies be hamats or ramsters?"

"No more. I think Emmett should be around for the rest of it. Besides, we're here." I stepped over another fallen tree and into my meadow.

Bella gasped, as she looked around. "Edward, it's beautiful. Like a hidden treasure cove."

"The best time is spring, but it's always peaceful."

She walked to the middle of the meadow where the sun was shining in, and just started spinning in circles. That sight was breathtaking to me. I could see the sheer joy in her smile, and the sun highlighted in her hair. I watched her every movement. As she slowed down, she noticed me watching her. She then ran to me, and grabbed me around the waist for a hug. I enveloped her in my arms and brought her body closer.

"Thank you for showing me this. It's wonderful- there aren't words to describe it really."

"Odd, that's the way I feel about you." I pulled away a little to look at her face. Her face was tinted pink from my comment and the exertion from the hike. "You are gorgeous."

I couldn't take it another moment. I had to kiss her. I needed to feel her lips. I wanted more. I carefully brought my hands to her face and stroked her cheeks with my thumbs. Then I leaned forward until my lips were touching hers. I pressed several small quick kisses, almost nibbles, on her closed lips, before I gently touched her bottom lip with my tongue.

She let out a small gasp, as she opened her mouth to me. I was lost in the sound of her whimper, the taste of her mouth, and the feel of her tongue as she hesitantly touched mine. I swore fireworks were going off. I had never experienced a kiss that I felt in every part of me. I felt out of control. She followed my every move, until I felt the small scrape of her teeth on my bottom lip.

I made a small sound of surprise, as she nipped and sucked on my lip. That was so new to me, and God help me, if I wasn't close to losing my sanity. With every ounce of will power I possessed, I drew our kiss to a close, and rested my forehead against hers and stared into her eyes.

"Please, tell me you'll be my girl."

She hadn't been expecting that by her reaction, but she shyly smiled up at me through her lashes before she answered.

"Only, if you are my guy." She could be so sassy.

"Done, I'm yours till you tell me to leave." She already had my heart, but she would find that out soon enough.

"I think I've been yours since I met your eyes during the game that first night."

"Mmm, that about sums it up." I whispered. I wrapped my arms back around her and pulled her into my chest as I held her.

"You really saw me? I wasn't sure if you had. I thought I had imagined it."

"No, baby, you didn't imagine it. I was right there with you, at least I was until I got knocked down."

"Oh shit, that's why you got sacked, or whatever it was?"

"Uh, huh. Doesn't happen very often." I grumbled. "Come on, let's get the blanket out."

We worked together to set out everything from the backpack. We sat for awhile, ate, and asked each other more questions. I ended up lying down on my back looking up at the sky as it began to fill with stars. My right hand was in her lap and she was trailing her fingers in circles in my palm.

We grew silent after a little while, only talking every few minutes. The silence was comfortable. We alternated staring in each other's eyes and resting with our eyes closed. Bella ended up lying down and propping her head on my stomach. Her hair was spread over my chest, abdomen, and groin. My right hand was now intertwined with hers resting on her stomach. I was running my left hand through her hair and feeling the silky strands flow between my fingers.

Almost absentmindedly, she started spinning my ring around. Once again, I lost my filter and blurted out, "I think that would look better on you."

She turned and looked at me. "You'd really want me to wear it? You just got it. I had to order mine Monday, but they said it could be here as soon as tomorrow."

I slowly sat up and slipped the ring off, and missed the weight immediately. That finger now represented Bella to me, and I decided since she claimed my index finger as her 'need you', I was claiming this one. "When I took this off, I realized I missed the ring, and that made me think that I miss you when you're not around. So, this is our 'miss you' finger."

I brought her hand up to my face and kissed both knuckles of 'our fingers'. I placed the ring at the tip of her finger. "Will you wear it?"

When I looked in her eyes, there were tears threatening to spill. She leaned into me, slipped her finger through the ring, and pressed her lips to mine.

She mumbled, "Yes" kiss "yes" kiss "a million times yes."

I felt her tongue lapping at my lips and instantly opened my mouth for more. I pulled her closer to me and couldn't resist thrusting my tongue back in her mouth. Kissing Bella was a sensual experience. She occasionally made this small sound that was part moan and part whimper, and it was driving me crazy. Then, she took her tongue and ran it along the edge of my teeth. I never realized that was a sensitive, erotic place. We continued to taste, nip, and feel each other until we had to break for a deeper breath.

I finally looked at the time and realized we needed to head back if we didn't want to get caught in the dark. She glanced at me and I think she read my mind. She quickly kissed me, and then turned around to start packing our trash. I folded the blanket and slung the pack over my shoulder when we finished. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. I couldn't resist kissing her one more time, but kept it to a simple peck on the lips.

We were both grinning on the walk back. I was amazed how well we just fit together. We could talk, sit in silence, or listen to music and we felt comfortable. I dreaded having the night end, but knew I had to take her home.

I pulled in her driveway, and we shared another kiss. It wasn't as involved as our meadow kisses because we were worried we might have company. I led her to the door, and we said our goodbyes. As I got back to the car and opened the door, I turned back to her. Instead of giving her a traditional wave, I tucked my thumb, middle finger, and pinky into my palm. Only 'our' fingers were lifted.

Looking at my wave, she smiled and returned our wave to me.

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**Thank you, thank you, thank you for the person who nominated me in the Inspired Awards. I made it to 2nd round of votes for Fave Edward under 1000 reviews. Lots of great stories there, so go vote! http:/inspiredfanficawards (dot) blogspot (dot) com/**


	8. I Won't Let Go

**A/N: Lots of love and thanks to Cullen Concession, LasVegas TowGirls, and SMMiskimen. They are the quickest betas/prereaders ever :) Texts are in bold if I got the format right.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns the characters, Kenny owns the fic title, and the song for the chapter belongs to Rascal Flatts. Any comments, lines, or actions from the books or movies belongs to SM and Summit. I'm just trying to keep it in character as much as possible.**

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Chapter 8 I Won't Let Go

Friday was going to be a bittersweet day for me. It was game day, which always made me psyched, but Bella would be leaving at noon to head to Seattle. It was also the first day, that Bella and I were an official couple.

We had decided the night before that I would take her to school, since Charlie was going to pick her up from school to leave for the airport. Alice was riding with me, and she was being unusually quiet. I decided not to say anything to see how long it would last.

We left home a little early to stop by and pick Bella up for school. Bella must have been watching for me to arrive, because as soon as I had stopped the car, she was out the door. I jumped out and grabbed her suitcase from her hand.

"Good morning, beautiful." I smiled at her. We walked to the trunk of the car to stow her stuff. After I settled it in, I turned to look at her. She had a big grin on her face, as she returned my stare.

"Did you have a good night?" she asked. I leaned back on the trunk and reached for her right hand. I held it, and was happy to see my ring on her finger. I pulled her fist to my mouth and kissed the knuckle behind my ring.

"Yeah, I had a wonderful night. This gorgeous, smart, witty brunette told me she would be my girl."

"Really? You know she might get jealous of you touching my hand like that. I get the feeling she doesn't share."

"Good to know, 'cause I don't share either. And it's been too long since I've done this." I brought my other hand to her cheek and caressed it slowly before moving to her neck, where I pulled her closer into me. It started out innocent enough, just small kisses on each other's lips, until I felt her tongue.

It was so quick that if I wasn't so in tune with her I might have missed it. But I felt that small, wet stroke across my bottom lip. I couldn't resist anymore and sent my tongue plunging in her mouth. God, she tasted good- like a strawberry pina colada. She had wrapped her arms around my waist, and I was still holding her head in my right hand and pulling her body against mine with pressure on her back with my left. I couldn't get close enough, and then she did that teeth thing, and I was surprised I didn't jizz in my pants.

Where had she learned that? Ugh, did I really want to know? _Get a grip and enjoy it._

I was just about to pick her up and turn us around so she could sit on the trunk, when Alice 'cockblocker' Cullen proceeded to blow the horn.

It scared the shit out of Bella and me. We jumped apart and looked around. We could hear Alice giggling in the car. We smiled at each other and exchanged one more quick kiss before getting in the car.

"Well, I guess I don't need to ask if you guys had a good time last night." Alice laughed.

"Ali, give us a break." I almost growled out, trying to intimidate her.

"Ha, I don't think so, brother of mine. Bella, I can't believe you didn't tell me." Alice pouted.

Bella turned around so she could see Alice in the back seat. "Alice, you are the first to know. I mean this just started last night-"

"Ahhhhhhh!" Alice screamed, and I stomped on the brakes.

"Are you ok? Ali?" I turned to look at her, and she was gasping and just kept staring at Bella. "Ali, talk to me." I was starting to panic, and thought I needed to get her to Dad. He would know what to do. "Ali, you're worrying me."

Finally, she started to respond, "Edward!" She then looked at Bella, then back to me. "She's," deep breath, "wearing," breath, "your ring!" She then squealed so loud I swear every dog in town heard her.

I slammed on the brakes again and turned to look at her.

"What the hell, Alice? You're acting this way over a damn ring? I thought you were having a panic attack or a seizure. Haven't you noticed we're on the way to the fucking hospital?" I yelled. The adrenaline rush when I thought something had happened to Alice, had unnerved me.

"Oh, Edward. I'm so sorry, but I was surprised and happy. I couldn't find the words…I was speechless. I didn't mean to worry you." She realized how affected I was, and she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed.

I then felt a warm hand on my knee. I looked over at Bella, and she was smiling. Always a nurturer, she had tears in her eyes but she was showing me comfort.

"How about we table this for another time and get to school?" Bella suggested.

"No way. I want details. I can't believe you're already wearing his ring. Jazz hasn't said anything about it, and we've been together for months." Alice settled back in her seat with a frown.

"It just seemed right last night, Alice. It's hard with me leaving, so let's just take it slow today, ok?" Bella whispered.

"Alright, judging by that kiss back there, more happened last night than just the ring. Nope, let's not talk about it now. I've got to go find Jazz." Alice rushed out, as we pulled into the school parking lot.

Bella and I started walking to her class together holding hands. We were going to be the hot topic of the day, and I could have cared less. I was happy.

"Everybody is staring." Bella mumbled, as she lowered her head.

"Not quite, that guy over there - he just glanced. Oh, well now he's staring." I looked down at her and realized she was upset. My body tensed, wondering if she didn't want everyone to know we were together. "Does it bother you to be seen with me?"

"Wait, what? Does it bother me to be seen with you?" She abruptly pulled on my hand and stopped us in the middle of the walkway. She looked in my eyes and must have seen my insecurity. "Edward, why would you think that?"

I looked away from her and walked us to the side, so that we were not providing entertainment for the whole school. It also gave me time to collect my thoughts.

She continued though, before I could say anything. "Have I ever said, or done, anything that would make you think that?" I felt so lost, and was cursing myself when I realized she had tears in her eyes. Why had I said that? I needed to fix this.

"No, baby, you've never made me feel like that, but when I saw you shying away, it made me wonder if you were really ok with us. Maybe, I had moved to fast and I don't want to scare you."

I could almost see her spine straightening and her confidence return. "Edward Anthony Cullen, let's get one thing straight right now. I am right where I want to be. I don't like being the center of attention of the school. I felt like they had just stopped staring at me for being the new girl, and now they are staring at me for being your girl. But I couldn't be happier about that. I'm here…right beside you, and I don't want to be anywhere else. Something this right can't scare me." She lifted her index finger with my ring on it and gently placed it against my lips. "This is my 'need you' finger and I will always need you. Does that scare you?"

I shook my head and kissed the tip of her finger. "You might not like being the center of attention, but you are the center of my world." We stood there staring at each other with big smiles on our faces until the bell rang. We hated to separate but we had responsibilities.

I spent the morning daydreaming about the previous evening and her little speech. I kept tapping my finger on the desk, and realized it reminded me of Bella. So, we had 'need you' and 'miss you' covered, I wondered what else we could do with another finger.

Jasper interrupted me at the end of class with a smack to the back of my head. "What the hell?" I almost shouted.

"Fucker, could you have warned me?" He grumbled.

I retorted with, "Huh?" I had been in my Bella bubble and had no clue what he was talking about.

"Man, isn't there some kinda guy code that when you do something, you have to let the rest of us know so we don't get in any trouble?"

"J, for the love of all that's holy, what are you talking about?"

"The ring, man. The ring. You know how Alice is. She's disappointed. And 'if I give it to her now she will never know if I really wanted to or if I'm doing it to copy you'. A little notice would have gone a long way. And when did you plan on telling me?" Jasper even did the little finger quotes to stress what Alice had said.

It took a moment to process everything he was saying. "You are whipped, my man. First, I was going to tell you when I saw you today, but you jumped the gun. Second, Alice is Alice. You know her, so just do what you were planning on…whether you give her the ring or not is your choice, not hers. Last night, it just felt right, so I went with it."

"So you guys are official now?" He asked.

"Yeah, we're officially a couple." I said with a big grin.

"And you call me whipped? If you could see your face…" Jasper chuckled.

I proceeded to salute him with both middle fingers. As I did it, I thought about Bella and wondered how interesting it would be if that finger represented our feelings. People would think we were flipping each other off when actually we were saying I lo… Whoa, whoa, whoa! I wasn't ready for that "L" word, so I put the thought away to think about later.

"So how do you plan on making it up to Alice?"

He raised one eyebrow and smirked, "Do you really want me to answer that?"

"J, ugh, that's my twin. Let's just leave it there, before I need brain bleach."

After that conversation, the day passed by quickly. We had our usual game day morning pep talk, and we would have the pep rally in the afternoon. I dreaded lunchtime, because I knew Bella would be leaving. I knew I had only known her for a couple of weeks, but it felt like so much more. And this trip made me uneasy for some reason.

If I could have stopped her from going, I would have and I realized how selfish that was. But I was being honest with myself. I was surprised at how comfortable it already felt to be in a relationship with her. Of course, my dreams had helped with that.

When the bell rang for our lunch, I rushed to Bella's classroom to spend as much time with her as possible. We walked to the office to sign her out of school before we headed to the parking lot. I held her hand tightly in mine and rubbed my thumb along hers. As we passed the last building, I pulled her to the side, around toward the back of the building.

She looked up at me and quirked a brow.

"I just wanted to hold you one more time before you left, and I didn't think you wanted the Chief to watch." I dropped my book bag on the ground and pulled her into my arms. For a moment, we just held each other tight. Gah, she was so small, and felt so fragile. She tucked right against my chest, and I rested my cheek on the top of her head. I was able to wrap my arms all the way around her and surround her.

I felt her grasp on me lessen, and she placed a kiss on my chest. It was a sweet short kiss but it made other parts of me stand at attention. Shit, I didn't need this when we would be seeing her father in a few minutes. I was trying to think of images to make my hard on go away when she moved her hands to my neck and brought my head down for a kiss.

This was not helping my situation. But I wasn't gonna fight it. I brought my hands to her hips as she plunged her tongue in my mouth. I wanted to grind myself against her and feel some friction to relieve the pressure in my pants. I didn't want to scare her, so I kept my touches light. After a heated moment, we both stopped for a breath and I leaned my forehead against hers.

"I'm gonna miss you." I whispered, as I took her hand in mine again and rubbed her ring finger.

"I'll be back in Washington in 50 hours and back in Forks in 54 hours."

"So will I see you in 54 hours and 5 minutes?" I asked.

"I hope so." She smiled.

"Oh, you can count on it, baby." I stated as I kissed her one last time and picked up my book bag up. We walked hand in hand to the parking lot to get her luggage and meet her father. The Chief was already waiting in his cruiser behind my car.

I could see him looking at our hands as we walked up to my car. I nodded my head to him to acknowledge his stare. I wasn't going to shrink away from him. He slowly got out of the car and opened his trunk to wait on us.

Without letting go of Bella's hand, we went to my truck to get her suitcase. I left my book bag in the trunk as I lifted out her case and proceeded to carry it to the cruiser.

"Good afternoon, Chief Swan." I greeted him, as I placed her luggage in the trunk.

He was determined and kept staring at our hands. "Afternoon, Edward. Thanks for picking Bella up this morning. Ready for the game tonight?" The Chief surprised me by talking to me. I had expected him to remain silent, until Bella said something.

"No problem, sir. I was happy to do it. And yeah, we're ready for the game. Our team looks really good this year."

"That's what I hear. You boys are doing a good job." I nodded my thanks to him, then he turned to Bella. "Bella, anything you want to add here?" I swear I heard a smirk in that comment. He was baiting her.

And Bella could give as she good as she got. She raised an eyebrow. "I think the team is up for a winning season. They've been working hard." They just stared at each other. I was curious to see who would win.

"Bella." He finally caved after a moment. Her name almost sounded like a growl.

"Ok, Dad. I get it. I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. Happy, now?" She sassed back to him, not losing eye contact for even a moment.

"Yep, and was that so hard?" He chuckled.

"Ughhh, Dad. Let's just go before I miss my flight." Bella grumbled, as she started walking toward her side of the car. I opened the door for her and held it while she sat down.

I picked her hand up and kissed her ring finger, as I stared into her eyes. Her blush and smile told me she understood what I was saying without words.

"Be safe." I told her, as I shut the door. She smiled, then waved our wave to me. I stood and watched until I could no longer see their car. I wasn't hungry, so decided to just sit in the car during lunch. I allowed myself this time to think about her because I knew I needed to get my head back in the game. Damn, now I was quoting Zac Efron from _High School Musical_. I looked down at the number on my jersey, and knew I had more to think about than Bella. The team was depending on me.

The afternoon passed quicker than I thought it would. I knew that Bella was ok, so I devoted my attention to the upcoming game. At the pep rally, I got that rush of adrenaline that I needed. The crowd was chanting "Spartans" over and over. The players ran to the middle of the gym floor into a huddle.

We all piled our hands on top of each other and I counted out, "One…two…three." And we all shouted out, "Made of win!" We separated out and did our little show for the rally. I was glad that our school still did those. I was pounded on the back and fist bumped, for the next thirty minutes. It seemed like word of me and Bella had spread, and I got just as many grins and bumps in congrats for that, as I did for the game.

I felt like I was made of win. I was the happiest, I had ever been.

Later that night, while the defensive line played, I recalled my text from Bella from earlier in the evening. **::Arrived in Seattle. Miss you already. Play for me. ;)B****::**

Would it get any better than this? I, literally, felt like I had won the lottery. And my playing showed my enthusiasm. The players caught it, and we were playing better than we ever had. No fumbles, no stumbles, the other team hadn't even managed to score. Standing beside Coach, I turned to look into the bleachers.

I saw my parents and waved. I think I shocked my mom, but it didn't stop her from waving back and making a scene. Although, as I looked over the crowd, I realized the team's good mood was infectious, and there was an extra level of energy in the crowd. People were talking and cheering a little louder than normal. I remember what the player from the Huskies told me and gave a thumbs-up to my parents.

I turned back around before I could see their reactions. I was aching to be back on the field. I just wanted to play football. Emmett was lucky because he often played defensive and offensive positions and had more field time. I looked back onto the field, in time to see Emmett intercept the ball on 8th yard line for the La Push Wolves. The crowd behind me was roaring. I swear he went airborne over two other players, as they tried to tackle him and ended up eating dirt. From there on out, he had a wide open field.

Every player was on their feet, yelling and cheering him on. He actually slowed, as he got to our five yard line, and started doing this weird combo of a run and dance on his tiptoes into the end zone. Once there, he performed every cheesy football touchdown dance ever done. He moon walked, pumped his fist in the air, did the running man, and then shook his ass to the crowd. They were eating it up. Shoulders were pounded, fists were bumped, as the announcer called out, "Spartan Number 43, Emmett McCarty intercepts a pass thrown by Wolves Number 5, Embry Call, for a ninety-two yard touchdown."

I was amazed watching Coach get everything settled to kick the field goal, and resume play. We didn't lose the momentum. When I finally got back on the field, it looked like I could read minds, as I seemed to automatically know who was where on the field. I even took a moment to breathe in the leather of the football. I loved to watch it spiral in the air and then land perfectly in the receiver's hands. We were a well-oiled machine and all our practices were paying off.

In the fourth quarter, we were 28-0 and it was our last play. Since we had the advantage, we were playing until the very end. Looking at the set up, I called out the sequence for the 3rd yard line. Three yards, this should be easy, but as I grabbed the ball, and turned to hand it off, Mike wasn't there. I didn't hesitate another moment before tucking the ball, and making a run for those last yards.

This was not a typical play for me, and the other team almost looked confused as I stepped over the line earning us another six points. The field goal was easy, and since I scored the last touchdown, I was picked up on their shoulders and carried to the sidelines. No sooner had I taken my helmet off, than ice cold water was thrown over my head. I shook it off and celebrated with my teammates.

The only thing that could have made this night better, was if Bella had been here. As soon as I got to my locker after the game, I checked my phone and had a text. **::Landed in Jacksonville. ~45 hours to go :D Bella::** I responded with **::Glad you are safe. Miss you, baby. 4****4**** to go. E::**

When I got out of the shower, I had another text. **::Great game! Sorry I missed it. Celebrate for me? Let me know when you get home. :P Bella:: **I wondered how she had already known about the game, but figured Alice must have talked to her. I wanted to text her again, but knew I needed to let her have her time with her mom without interruptions.

I headed out with the rest of the gang to Waylon's. I had a good time with everyone, and even without Bella there, felt more included, no longer a fifth wheel. We ended up heading back to our house to watch movies, since we were still keyed up. As I got settled, I pulled my phone back out to talk with Bella. **::Home now. Celebrated with the gang at ****Waylon's. Watching movies****,**** wishing you were here****. Call when/if you can. Sweet dreams. 42 E::**

About an hour later, we were all losing steam, and started to drift off. My phone beeped, and I grabbed it sleepily**. ::Wish I was beside you. Would loved to have given you a touchdown kiss. Really missing you now-thinking about your kisses. 41 ;) B::**

Thinking about her, thinking about us kissing, made me hard again. Thank God, no one was paying me any attention**. ::****I miss you. I need you. 41 E::**

I decided to head to my room, in case she called. I laid down on my bed, closed my eyes, and replayed our kisses at school. I fell asleep dreaming about her.

I woke up with two reminders of Bella. One was a text, and the other was a boner left over from last night. I needed to get that under control. I decided to read the text first. **::Sorry, mom kept me up late, wanted to talk about Phil's ED-gross! 39**** B:: **And that fixed my second reminder. Something about hearing about any parent's sex life caused me to lose any interest in my own, at least temporarily.

Saturday was spent catching up with homework, chores, and sleeping. Bella and I exchanged a few more texts, but they were getting shorter and shorter. The last one from her was just the number 27. No smiley face, no name, no initial. And that was hours ago, with no response to my return text. I knew I shouldn't worry but I couldn't help it. That was my MO. I sent her one at 24, and at 21 hours, with no reply.

Finally, at midnight my time, the phone rang. It barely finished the ring, before I answered, "Bella."

"Edward, oh God, I miss you and can't wait to be back home." The wealth of emotion in that sentence told me she had had a rough day. I also smiled, when I realized she considered Forks, home. She explained how she left her phone on the counter, and her mom refused to go back and get it. Then, they shopped and Bella cooked. Her mom was waiting on her now to watch a movie, so she didn't have long to talk. She sounded exhausted.

I didn't want to stress Bella anymore, so after exchanging "I miss you's", we hung up. I texted her once more. **::Glad to hear your voice. Miss you. Need you. Come home early?****18 E::** I went to sleep with her on my mind again.

The first thing I felt, were her fingers in my hair, rubbing my scalp. God, that felt good, and I couldn't stop the moan that left my throat. My Bella had come home early. I was lying on my stomach and could feel her next to me. She moved her hands to my shoulders and started massaging the tense muscles from last night's game. Her hands were so small, but she was strong and I felt myself relaxing into her touch.

She leaned forward and kissed the top of my right shoulder. Then she flitted her tongue out, and licked the spot she just kissed. I was no longer relaxed, so I rolled over to touch her. I pulled her down beside me, and started to kiss her on the lips when she stopped me with a gentle touch to my chest, and a finger on my lips. I looked at her and she just shook her head and smiled, then leaned in and kissed my chest.

Oh God, I just wanted to touch her. Every time I tried to move my hands, she would move so that I couldn't really touch her. After kissing my chest, she moved up to my neck and started placing small kisses on my collarbone. I was harder than I had ever been in my life. I felt like I was gonna explode with her doing nothing but touching my collar. I felt her nose run up the side of my neck inhaling my scent. We both groaned out.

Next, I felt her tongue at the edge of my ear. She traced around it gently, with very little pressure. All the pressure was centered in my cock, and it was twitching, begging for release. Bella caused me to jump as she sucked my ear lobe into her mouth, and then raked her teeth across it. I had barely settled down from the attention she was lathing on my ear, when I felt that small hand skim over the top of my cock.

What the hell? Where were my boxers? How had she done that? I couldn't think anymore, as she moved her hand back to the head and rubbed the drops of precum around it. She then stroked down and came back up, applying pressure until she wrapped her hand around my shaft. I was silently praying to not be a two-pump chump, but it was too much. I knew I wasn't gonna last much longer. A few more strokes, then she swirled her fingers around the head and squeezed just enough to ignite every nerve ending I had. I couldn't contain it anymore and I exploded. Spurts of cum were landing on my stomach, and I thought it would never end. I closed my eyes to feel the last seconds of the most explosive orgasm, I had ever experienced.

I wanted to return the favor, so I opened my eyes, determined not to let her push me away this time. She was gone. I sat straight up in the bed, and looked around. Shit, I had jizzed all over the place. My stomach, my boxers, the sheets, but there was no Bella. Another damn dream. Fuck my life.

I flopped back down on my pillows with a loud groan. That had seemed so real. If she could do this in my dreams, I was looking forward to the live version. Before jumping in the shower, I checked my phone. I had one text. **::I need u::**

I was going to drive myself crazy trying to figure Bella out. Maybe I was reading more into it, but that short message told me more than a thousand words. Bella was strong, confident, and not afraid to say what was on her mind. For her to be reduced to three words and no signature, meant something was wrong. I quickly sent a reply checking the clock for how many hours we had left. **::Are you ok? I'm right here, baby, waiting on you. ~9 E::**

My phone beeped before I made it out of bed**. ::I will b when I c u 9 Bella::**

Making a quick decision, I called Bella's house.

"Hello." Chief Swan answered the phone in his usual gruff tone.

"Morning, Chief. This is Edward Cullen. Alice and I are headed to Seattle today, and I thought I might save you a trip to pick Bella up, if don't mind."

"Well, son, I don't mind picking her up, but if you're going to be there, I don't have a problem with it. Does Bella know about this?" He answered after a moment.

"No, plans were just made last night, and I haven't been able to talk with her for very long since she left. I would like to surprise her, if that's ok with you."

"Alright, how 'bout I call you when she calls me to let me know she has landed. Do you know her flight information?" We exchanged more information and made arrangements for Bella's surprise. Ugh, I was a mess! As soon as I hung up, I headed to the bathroom to get cleaned up. What was I, 15 again?

I met Alice and Mom downstairs in the kitchen, and filled them in on my plan. Alice was excited to be included and even suggested that Jasper tag along. As we were getting ready to get in the car, I got another text. **::Checking in at airport. ~8 Bella::** I ached to tell her it was more like four hours, but didn't want to spoil my surprise.

About an hour later, I got another text. **::On the plane. Day is better knowing I will see you soon. 8 Bella::** I replied with **::Hours aren't changing fast enough, moved to minutes ~480 E::** Mentally, I cut that in half, and smiled the rest of the way to the airport.

Once we got there, we knew Bella only had her carryon luggage, so we waited for her at the doors leading from the terminals. We checked the time and her flight was on time. Only minutes later, I got a text. **::Just landed. In the same s****tate as you! 240 Bella::** I contacted Charlie to let him know we were in place, and would let him know when we were on the way.

The doors flew open and people started filing out. We all were scanning the crowds for that familiar head of brown hair. Finally, being tall paid off. I saw her at the very back of the crowd. She was walking so slow with her head down. She looked dejected. I quickly pulled my phone out and texted her. **::1 E::** I watched her as she stopped and pulled the phone out of her pants pocket. Her head snapped up, and started looking around frantically, as she realized the significance of my text. Our eyes met, and I saw her smile.

I smiled back on the outside, but inside I felt like I was dying. It was obvious, she had been crying. Her cheeks were red, and her eyes were bloodshot. She looked pale and worn out. I wanted to pick her up and wrap my arms around her to protect her from the world. I heard Alice gasp as she got sight of Bella, but I paid her no attention.

Bella then ran to me. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and buried her head in my chest. She broke into sobs, as she clung to me. Alice came around her back and enveloped us into a hug.

"Shh, I've got you, and I won't let go." I threw my keys to Jasper, although I had never let him drive my car before. Ignoring the stares, I picked her up to carry her to the car.

Alice and Jasper grabbed her stuff and followed us out. I climbed in the back seat and just held her, whispering assurances to her that I was there. I couldn't tell her everything was ok, because I didn't know. I did know that I wasn't going to let go. As she quieted down, I started humming a Rascal Flatts' song, and realized I meant every word.

_It's like a storm  
That cuts a path  
It breaks your will  
It feels like that  
You think you're lost  
But you're not lost on your own,  
You're not alone  
_

Her storms were now my storms. God, what has my girl been through?

_I will stand by you,  
I will help you through  
When you've done all you can do  
and you can't cope  
I will dry your eyes,  
I will fight your fight  
I will hold you tight  
and I won't let go  
_

I was going to be there for her with every breath I took. I wanted to remove the tears and replace them with smiles.

_It hurts my heart to see you cry__  
I know __it's__ dark this part of life__  
Oh it find us all and we're __too__ small__  
to stop the rain__  
Oh but when it rains_

_I will stand by you,__  
I will help you through__  
When you've done all you can do__  
and you can't cope__  
I will dry your eyes,__  
I will fight your fight__  
I will hold you tight__  
and I won't let you fall__  
_

I felt like my heart was rending in two, but she had run to me and trusted me to help her.

_Don't be afraid to fall__  
I'm right here to catch you__  
I won't let you down__  
It won't get you down __  
You're gonna make it__  
I know you can make it_

Was it too soon to know, I wanted to always be the one to catch her? I would not fail her, I would support her.

_Cause I will stand by you,__  
I will help you through__  
When you've done all you can do__  
and you can't cope__  
I will dry your eyes,__  
I will fight your fight__  
I will hold you tight__  
and I won't let go__  
__  
Oh I'm gonna hold you__  
and I won't let go__  
__Won't let you go__  
No I won't_

I looked down at her resting on my chest and realized she had fallen asleep on my chest with a smile. For the first time since we had seen each other at the airport, she looked relaxed and happy. I vowed to do everything I could to keep her that way. I was gonna hold her forever and never let go.

* * *

**More a/n: We didn't win at the Inspire Awards, but some really great fics did. Congrats to all of them and check them out if you haven't yet.**

**BOF was reviewed on The Lemonade Stand by Butterfly Betty, Stillwaters, and Leslie Justice Grimmette. I flove these ladies! They all have some wonderful stories you should check out. Links are on my profile.**

**Many thanks to Savory who recced me out in her fabulous story, Bridges. She makes me homesick for my home state of South Carolina, but in a great way.**


	9. Fr Holy Water to The Keeper of the Stars

**A/N: Lots of love and thanks to Cullen Concession, LasVegas TowGirls, ****StarttheFantasy, ****and SMMiskimen. They are the quickest betas/prereaders ever :) Texts are in bold if I got the format right.**

**Disclaimer: SM owns the characters, Kenny owns the fic title, and the songs for the chapter belong to Big and Rich and Tracy Byrd. **

**Please read the Note at the end.**

* * *

**Chapter 9 From "Holy Water" to "The Keeper of the Stars"**

The closer we got to Forks, the tighter I held onto Bella. Earlier, when I had made the phone call to Chief Swan, I had hoped to get a little insight into what was going on. I had hesitated how much to tell him, but in the end, decided to be honest and told him that it was obvious Bella was upset and that she had practically collapsed in my arms.

For the first time, I heard the Chief cuss a blue streak. It took him a moment to realize he was still on the phone. After apologizing profusely for his uncharacteristic speech, he thanked me and then wanted to know exactly what had happened. I gave him the details from seeing Bella at the airport until she fell asleep in the car. He told me he would be waiting on us and the last thing I heard him mutter was, "I thought she was better."

I really wanted to give Bella the time to open up to me, but I was curious about what was going on. How could I protect her when I didn't know what I was protecting her from?

My phone rang and I answered not looking at caller ID, thinking the Chief was calling me back. "Hello, Chief. She's still asleep."

"Well, I'm glad somebody knows how she's doing. Is this Edward? I've been waiting for hours for Bella to call me to let me know she landed safely. I had to call and speak to Charlie to find out that he couldn't even be bothered to pick his daughter up. Now, Bella isn't answering her phone. I've been worried to death." Hell, that woman could talk. She wasn't giving me time to speak. "Son, are you going to answer me sometime soon?"

I felt like I was being pulled into the Twilight Zone. "Umm, Ms. Dwyer? Yes, this is Edward Cullen. I apologize. Chief Swan and I arranged a surprise for Bella and in the confusion, Bella must not have turned her phone off of vibrate so we haven't heard it ring. She landed fine and we are on the way to Forks but she fell asleep. Can I have her call you when she wakes up?"

"Yes, you can. I can't believe I've been sitting here worried sick that something had happened to her and she just forgot. How selfish. Oh well, tell her I am glad she made it ok and that I love her and to call me once she gets home and settled."

"Yes, ma'am." We briefly said goodbye and I wondered what the hell had just happened. That was the weirdest phone call I had ever received.

Bella started to stir in my arms and I watched her as she came awake. When she opened her eyes, she smiled at me, but then blushed.

"Feel better, baby?" I whispered.

"Immensely. That was the best surprise and exactly what I needed. Edward, I know you have questions and I promise, I will tell you soon, but can we just enjoy the rest of the trip with each other?"

"Of course, whatever you need, love. Your Mom called while you were sleeping to check on you and wants you to call her when you get home and settled. She said she loves you." I answered her as I kissed her temple.

"Ok, I'm sorry I forgot to call her when I landed." Bella said with a sheepish expression.

"Glad you are home, Bella. And you are home with us." Alice said with determination**, **as she stared into Bella's eyes. Bella grabbed her hand and squeezed, as she nodded.

Bella was still in my lap; with her head on my shoulder and she made no effort to move. She nuzzled my neck then whispered, "Do you have any idea how happy you made me today?"

"Hmm, that was my goal, so I'm glad it worked." I squeezed her and kissed her forehead.

"So, can I get a real welcome home kiss now?"

"Your wish is my command." I leaned down and captured her lips with mine. As usual, it started out sweet and slow, but heated up quickly.

Alice tore us apart by blowing the horn again. Jasper was laughing and Alice was dramatically moaning, "My eyes, my eyes. Jazzy, they just won't stop. I need bleach."

"Yeah, and I still need bleach from waking up on the couch to you taking off 'Jazzy's' shirt. SITTING. BESIDE. ME." I growled out.

"Hey man, at least it wasn't Alice's shirt." Jasper just had to interject.

Mocking Alice, I covered my ears and moaned out, "My ears, my eyes. Bella, they just won't stop. I need bleach." Bella was laughing uncontrollably in my lap.

I was so happy to see her smiling and laughing, I would gladly mock Alice all day. Bella rearranged herself so that her arm was around my neck and she was sitting more upright against me.

Once we had all quieted down, Bella leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear. "I think a little payback this weekend is in order and it's time you lose your shirt."

Did she just lick my ear? My whole body went rigid. She giggled**,** as she felt my cock harden against her thigh. She was killing me, but I was enjoying every second. "I'll lose anything you want, baby."

Bella flexed her leg and applied a small amount of pressure to my dick. Her hand was running through my hair at the nape of my neck. I leaned my head back against the headrest and let a small groan escape. I couldn't stop myself from pushing my hips against her leg for more friction. She laid her head on my shoulder and I could feel her breath on my neck.

She returned the pressure on my hips and started moving her leg slightly against my cock. I felt her lips on my neck before she whispered, "I think I just want you to lose a little control today." Then she licked my neck where she had just kissed me.

Was this the same girl that a few hours ago had collapsed against me in tears? Was she just reacting to what had happened to her over the weekend? I felt like she was reacting to my presence and not her emotional rollercoaster of feelings. Plus, I knew that our actions really couldn't go much further, with Alice and Jasper in the front seat, so I felt comfortable letting her tease me. And I had to admit, I was a horny teenage boy and what she was doing felt good. Who was I to stop it?

I bent my head down for another kiss. My hand was on her hip and I realized that with her movements, her shirt had risen up. I slowly moved my thumb in gentle strokes against the bare skin at her waist. I felt her shiver.

"Cold, baby?" I murmured against her lips.

"Unh, unh" She groaned out**, **as I slipped my tongue in her mouth and started kissing her deeper.

We ignored the horn this time, but I couldn't ignore Alice peering over the seat at us.

"Alice, go away. I know Mom taught you it is impolite to stare." I said annoyed with the interruption.

"And I know you wouldn't be doing what you're doing if Mom was in the car. Besides, we're about five minutes from Bella's house and Jazz thought you might want to know that. Something about some recovery time?" She arched one of her eyebrows at me**,** as she smirked.

"Jasper, a little help with my sister?" I pleaded.

"I'm driving. Whatcha want me to do? You can drive and I promise I will distract her." He said**,** as he stared at me through the rear view mirror.

"Have I told you guys how thankful I am for you? Moving to Forks was the best decision, I ever made." Bella said, drawing our attention back to her. She gave me a quick kiss before continuing on. "It's great to have friends that care, and I appreciate what each of you did for me today. Including the heads up to how close we are to Charlie's."

Bella leaned up and hugged Alice from the back. "I know you guys want to know what's going on and I want to tell you, but I need a little more time."

"Of course, Bella. Whatever you need. We're here for you." Alice said**, **as she squeezed Bella's arms that were still wrapped around her.

"Anything you need, darlin', you just let us know." Jasper told Bella.

We had reached Bella's house and Chief Swan was waiting on the porch. He met us at the car**,** as I got out the backseat and was helping Bella out of the car. He had a look of surprise on his face that Bella was no longer upset, but smiling.

He gave her a quick hug, "Welcome home, Bells. Glad you are back."

"Me, too, Dad. Me, too." They shared a long stare at each other that ended with Bella giving him another hug.

I walked around to the trunk to get her luggage out.

"Thank you, Edward, for picking her up and just...everything."

"No problem, Chief. I was glad to do it." He looked at me and then nodded**, **before taking Bella's stuff. "I'll just run these upstairs."

As he left, Bella turned to me and hugged me tight. "Have I told you how much it meant to me for you to be at the airport? It was everything. And I am so glad you were there. Maybe we can hang out at your house one day this week after practice?"

"Anything you want. Just let me know what works for you. Just us or you want the gang there, too?"

"Can I decide later?" She scrunched up her face at me as she talked. "I want them to know**,** but I want to tell you first but Alice kinda is my best friend so…I just need to think."

"That's fine, you tell me when and I'll make it happen." I kissed her once more, before I got back into the car. I waited for her to go into the house and she turned to me before going inside and waved our wave, held her hand up to her ear, and mouthed 'call me later'.

On one hand, I felt so confused about what was going on in Bella's life but on the other, I was happy she was able to bounce back so quickly after being upset. To say I was anxious for our talk was an understatement.

Monday, I told her I was ok with the gang being there when we talked, and I didn't need to be told first and alone, unless that made her feel better. Bella decided that Wednesday would be the day and that she wanted Alice there, too. She made sure I was ok with that and after reassuring her that I was, Alice was glad to be involved. Bella made sure we knew that we could tell Jasper, Emmett, and Rose. They could even ask questions and she didn't mind discussing it, but thought it best to start out this way.

Bella and I spent every moment together possible. If we couldn't be beside each other, then we were either on the phone, or texting. The more I got to know her, the more I knew I was falling for her. I wasn't ready yet,to take that next step in the feelings department, because I had never said those three words to another girl outside my family...but I was getting there.

After practice on Wednesday, we headed back to my house. Mom knew what was going on and decided to order pizza for supper. We headed straight to the basement because we were starving, took our regular seats on the couch, and attacked the food.

Bella sat back and reached for my hand, and I gladly gave it to her. She squeezed it gently**,** then gave me a small smile.

"First, I want to thank you for just being there for me Sunday. I needed that more than you know. I mean that for both of you." She grabbed Alice's hand and brought it to her lap. "So here it goes. It's kind of hard to explain, and after 'episodes' happen, it is even harder unless you are a part of them. It doesn't always make sense. I want to get the medical stuff out there first. My mom was diagnosed with Dissociative Disorder. Basically, she has pieces of time where she detaches herself from reality and she feels that the things happening around her are not real. She also has trouble recalling what happens during those times, and what has actually happened in the past, versus what she thinks has happened. It is a borderline multiple personality disorder because it is like she is someone else. She is also narcissistic and has major depression."

I squeezed her hand and brought her fist up to kiss her knuckles. "And how does that affect you?" I asked quietly.

"Well, she is naturally a needy and dependent person. She wants someone to take care of her, and I have most of my life. I learned to cook because she made the worst tasting stuff ever and she had no desire to learn. When her depression hits, she will just stare out the windows for hours at a time. I'm the one that had to set an alarm for school and, after she let the power get cut off too many times because 'she just didn't have the energy' to pay the bill, I took over paying the bills. When she gets upset, she just blows up and says all sorts of ugly things. Nothing is ever enough for her. No matter how much time, effort, or money you put into something, it isn't good enough. She hated men until she met Phil. I was told all my life**, **that men could never be trusted and they would all cheat,if the possibility was there.

"I know this doesn't sound like much, but it's so hard to describe. I've come home from dates to be called a 'whore' and be slapped when I asked her why she thought that. I found it easier not to date or have close friends, because she always found faults with them, then would drive that little piece of information into the ground. She is paranoid that everyone has it in for her, like the cashier at the store put the bread in the bottom of the bag and squished it, just so she would have to buy more. When she gets mad at Charlie is the worst**, **because she blames everything on him. If he had really loved her, he would have moved. It is so negative to be around her and I have learned it is just easier to do what she wants.

"Edward, please don't feel bad**,** but just to give you an example, when I told her I was calling you on Saturday, she told me not to stay on the phone long**,** because I could spend time with you when I got back 'to that God forsaken town of Forks' and that you were probably having a 'good time with your friends without me there' and I was there to spend time with her. We are talking about a five minute call to check in. Now, that is not how I felt, but that's what I had to hear. Does any of this make sense?"

Alice looked at me**, **then asked Bella, "You said she slapped you, so did she abuse you?"

"Hmm, there are different types of abuse. I think there were times where it could have been considered physical abuse**,** but it was not constant. Part of the problem is that she doesn't always remember what she says or does. So, in her mind, she didn't hit me...she was talking to me about inappropriate behavior with boys. It's emotional. With her attitude and beliefs, it has been hard to form relationships and to trust people, and that includes myself. If I won second place, then I should have done something different**,** so I could have won first. After visiting with her, I am drained mentally and physically. I had just reached a point this summer that I couldn't handle the negativity anymore, and since she now had Phil to take care of her, it was a perfect reason, no excuses, to move. Because if I had done it for me, instead of, to give them more privacy, then I would have been selfish. I was just tired of being the grown up**,** when I am still a teenager."

"Does the Chief know all this?" I asked.

"Yeah, it was part of the reason for the divorce. He knows how bad she can get, how she will scream and blame everyone else for her problems, that she has to be catered to. I always knew I was welcome at his house, but he left that decision up to me. The one time he tried to fight for custody was an ugly, ugly time and I don't want to go into that. It was easier to leave things the way they were unless I wanted to cut her out of my life. When this chance to move came up, I jumped at it.

"My mom can be the sweetest, caring person, especially when I am hurt or sick. She is so smart and more independent than she wants to be. But the bad times are bad. I know you guys have questions and I promise I'll answer them. I wish I could say that you will never see that side of her, but you are important parts of my life and I'm ashamed to say that at some point you will. I just pray that you stick around afterward."

I couldn't resist pulling her in my arms and hugging her with everything within me. "I promise, I won't let go. I told you that Sunday and I mean it."

Alice hugged her from the other side and just hummed. I lost track of time for how long we sat there, just cuddled together. Alice was rubbing her back and I was stroking her hair**, **while holding her.

"I think it might be time for me to go. Do you have any questions tonight?" Bella looked up at me through her lashes.

"Not tonight, baby. We're here for you and, although we haven't experienced abuse, we care about you and accept you no matter what you've been through. Are you ok?" She buried her head into my chest as I talked.

She let out a big sigh, "Yeah, it's amazing that when the episodes are happening, it is so bad, but after I am out of that environment, I feel like I return to normal. It's just how I deal with it. Thank you for listening."

I hated for her to go, but knew that Charlie would be expecting her. She and Alice hugged for the longest time, then we walked her to her truck.

Once we got back inside, Alice and I went upstairs toward our rooms. "Edward, I want to research more about her mom's diagnosis. I want to learn everything I can, so I can help Bella when she has to go through it with her mom. It tore me up to see her like that Sunday. I can't imagine having to take care of your mom and then nothing you do is ever right. She didn't even have friends for support because her mom scared them off. I just can't imagine living like that."

"I don't understand everything and I want to learn, too. Although that phone call from Ms. Dwyer makes a little more sense now. Share what you find, ok? Ali, you know I love you, right?" I asked, touched that Alice was going to do research, in order to know what we should expect in the future, just so we could understand and be there for Bella in her time of need.

"Of course, I do, Brother, and I promise to share everything. I love you, too." We headed to bed, but I picked up my phone to text Bella before I went to sleep. I decided to text her over the next couple of days**,** the lyrics to an older song I knew.

**:: "**_**It was no accident me finding you, Someone had a hand in it,**_ _**Long before we ever knew**_**." Sweet dreams, beautiful girl ~E ::****  
**

I didn't wait for a response before I got into bed. I said a prayer that night that I would be there for her, in whatever way she needed me. When I woke up, I read her reply and sent one back.

**:: Thank you again, and I will have dreams of you :) B::**

**:: "**_**Now I just can't believe you're in my life, Heaven's smilin' down on me**_**." ~E::****  
**

Bella was happier the next morning and I couldn't help but feel like she had shared her burden and felt better for it. All day, I kept sending her texts.

**:: "**_**I hold everything, When I hold you in my arms**_**" ~E::**

**:: "**_**I've got all I'll ever need, Thanks to the keeper of the stars**_**" ~E::**

**:: "**_**Soft moonlight on your face, oh how you shine, It takes my breath away, Just to look into your eyes**_**" ~E::**

When I woke up on Friday, I quickly sent her the next text.

**:: "**_**I know I don't deserve a treasure like you**_**" ~E::**

As usual, I was excited for the game that night. It was an away game, but it was just the next town over, so we wouldn't be too late. The Coach had even agreed to let the seniors drive to the field. We had all decided to have a movie night after the game, instead of going to Waylon's.

Alice and I had filled Jasper and Emmett in and we all thought a night in would be great. Rose was going to join us, as soon as, she was finished cheering.

On the way to pick up Bella for school, I wondered if she would ever wear my jersey and decided to ask her. She agreed, then gave me a grin, and I swore I could see the devil creating mischief and dancing in her eyes.

Throughout the day, I sent two more texts.

**:: "**_**There really are no words, To show my gratitude**_**" ~E::****  
****  
:: "**_**So I tip my hat to the keeper of the stars, He sure knew what he was doin'**_**" ~E::**

At the end of school, when I dropped Bella off, she demanded, "Ok, so I want your jersey now."

"Um, what, now? All I've got is the one I have on with me."

"I know and that's the one I want. So gimme." She put her hand out and wiggled her fingers at me.

I wondered what she was up to, but decided to go with it. I stepped out the car and went around to her door. I pulled her out of the car and she leaned against the door, still wiggling her fingers at me.

I crossed my arms, grabbed the hem of my jersey, then pulled it off. I had a white wife beater on underneath it. I was excited to hear the little gasp that came from Bella**,** as my shirt came off. I didn't say anything but held it out to her.

She took it and then brought it up to her face, inhaling the scent. "I love the way you smell."

I couldn't resist any longer and leaned into her for a kiss. I was lost. She was the only person to ever make me think of blowing off a game. We explored each other's mouths. When we needed a breath, I moved to her neck and placed small kisses and nibbles from her jaw to her collarbone. I would have stayed there, kissing her all night.

"As much as I hate to say it, Edward, if you don't get going you'll be late." Bella whimpered.

Reluctantly, we partedso we could get ready for the game. Emmett was going to drive his Jeep so we could all ride together. Bella would be there early**,** but she insisted she didn't mind. While we waited on Emmett, I sent another text.

**:: "**_**When he joined these two hearts**_**" ~E::**

I immediately was buzzed with an incoming text. I was surprised to see it was from Jasper.

**:: You are in TROUBLE, man. Be prepared. J::**

**::WTH? E::**

I got no response, so I started worrying. I tried to think what I could have done. I assumed they had picked Bella up and she was upset with me. Oh, God, would I be able to fix it before the game?

I was waiting outside when they finally pulled up. My hair was sticking up everywhere from me running my fingers through it for the past five minutes. Bella was in the front seat**,** but had the window down.

She was smiling. I had to look like a douche**,** because I was so confused, and I kept looking between Bella and Jasper.

"Hey, babe. Hope you like what I did! I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your texts today."

I was still confused**, **until I opened the door. Bella's legs were bare. My eyes followed her legs down to her feet that she had swinging out the door. I was speechless. She had on a pair of fuck me heels. There were no doubts that I could understand that term now. I was rock hard looking at those shoes. I was thankful that my jersey wasn't tucked in yet.

I slowly got my brain engaged and moved my eyes away from those shoes. Her legs were amazing. She was sporting a slight tan from her visit to Florida. I thought her legs were going on forever when I saw her short denim mini skirt. I might have short circuited at that point. I still hadn't said a word.

Bella took my hand and pulled herself up**,** so she was standing on the running board. Her breasts were eye level with me. And I was met with my number. She was wearing my jersey from today. I wasn't sure what in the hell she had done to it, but it was gathered in a knot around her stomach and when she moved, she showed bare skin.

My eyes were immediately drawn to that piece of skin playing peek a boo. I received another surprise. Bella had her belly button pierced. Fuck. I never realized how sexy that was until now. I looked closer and she had a gold star**,** with a dangling E. My eyes flashed to hers and she was smirking at me.

"See something you like?" Bella whispered.

"Hell, yeah." I barely choked out and started to lean in for a kiss.

"Bellllllllaaaaaaaaaaaa, oh my God! You look fabulous!" Alice yelled when she caught sight of Bella. "What a great idea to wear Edward's other jersey like that. Just wait until next week, you'll see tons of them in the bleachers."

"Alice CB Cullen strikes again." I groaned,as I put my hands on Bella's waist and lifted her down. Bella's laugh rang out.

"Thanks, Alice. Just decided to go all out tonight since I missed last week." Bella said as she grabbed my hand and led us to the back door.

Jasper and Emmett were laughing at me. "Something wrong, Edward?" Jasper asked.

"More like something's up!" Emmett snickered. I managed to pop the back of his head before I helped Bella step into the truck. For the love of all that's Holy, she stepped up, then bent forward to move into the back row. I almost came right then. If she had touched me, I would have jizzed all over myself. Oh hell, how was I going to get rid of this problem before the game? I took a few deep breaths trying to get myself under control.

Alice and Jasper were staring at me from where they were seated in the middle row.

"Any day now, Edward. We have to be on time or Coach won't let us drive next time." Emmett boomed out. I shot him a shut up glare, then climbed into the back with Bella.

I had never ridden in the back row before and it was a puzzle to fit my legs in. I ended up sitting at an angle with my legs stretched out toward Bella's floor space. I looked at her, pointed at the floor, and said, "Sorry, I'm taking your space."

She just grinned and replied back, "No worries." She then proceeded to swing those long legs of hers across my lap. She swung her foot and brought my attention back to those shoes. I placed a hand on her ankle to stop her movement.

"You are killing me, gorgeous. I wish I didn't have to play tonight." I whined.

"Babe, it's ok. I'll have you after the game." She winked. I leaned my head back and groaned.

"All yours, as soon as the clock counts down to zero." I winked back.

"Hmmm, sounds good. Especially if you play like you did last week." She smirked at me.

"I'll do my best." I grinned, loving our playful banter.

"And I'll make it worth your while. Now lean back and get focused on the game. I'll be waiting." She promised, grinning back in return.

I did as she suggested and closed my eyes, leaning my head back against the headrest. She took my hand in hers and just started rubbing circles on it. Her touch was soothing and helped**,** as I zoned back into football mode.

When we got to the field, Emmett was able to park close to the locker rooms. As we got out, we stopped because that fresh cut grass smell greeted us. Emmett, Jasper, and I all inhaled that scent. The other seniors were arriving right behind us. The lights turned on**, **as we headed toward the field. This was Friday night football.

Emmett handed Bella the key to his Jeep in case she needed to get into it during the game. We walked hand in hand to the locker room, and I couldn't help but glare at the guys staring at Bella from the other team. I didn't want to let her go, but I knew I needed to stay focused on the upcoming game. Bella seemed to understand, kissed me on the cheek, wished me luck, and waved our wave before walking away. After we were suited up, I sent Bella one more text.

**:: "**_**I hold everything, When I hold you in my arms**_**" ~E::**

We had another great game and continued our winning streak. I was anxious to get home with Bella, so I was all business during the game. Plays went smooth and the team worked together for the win. It was one of the shorter games, I had ever played in. We had fewer penalties than ever before.

Bella met me on the field for a congratulatory kiss. It was the first one I had ever received on the field. I could get used to that, although we did keep it G rated. No use giving the Chief any reason not to allow Bella to spend time with me.

We headed to the showers and changed as quickly as possible. Emmett pouted, as we walked out the locker rooms, because Rose wasn't there. However, Alice and Bella were there and I paid no attention to Alice and Jasper. I reached straight for Bella and pulled her into my arms.

We headed to the Jeep**,** while Alice made sure all her girls had cleaned up the area and were either on the bus, or had a ride home. Bella and I scrambled into the back row seat. I pulled Bella into my lap and without any warning kissed her hard. Between the adrenaline from the game and her previous teasing, I was hot and hard again.

Our tongues danced, massaged, and fought for dominance. I cradled her face with my hands. When I had to stop to get more air, I rested my forehead against hers. "You are my world." I whispered.

The others broke us out of our bubble, as they entered the Jeep talking and laughing. Bella settled to my side and laid her legs along mine. I had my arm around her shoulders. We were all talking and discussing the game, generally having a good time.

Once we got home, we headed to the basement. Mom had already set up sandwiches and chips for us. I made a mental note to let her know how much I appreciated her. Rose came in about the time we were finishing up. While she grabbed something to eat, we picked out a movie and got everything set up for movie night.

Mom came in and told us goodnight, then shocked me. "Bella, Rose, I put your things in Alice's room. If you guys decide to stay, that's ok. But if you fall asleep down here, you all stay down here. Got it?" Bella was spending the night. Mental fist pump.

Jasper and Emmett both called out, "Calling Mom now, Mama Es. Night." It wasn't unusual for them to stay the night or for us all to fall asleep in the basement. However, this was the first time it would happen when we were all couples. I guessed Mom figured that at least if we were all together, it would curb any heavy extracurricular activities.

Excited to have extra time with our girlfriends, we all settled in to watch the movie. About a third of the way into the movie, Bella leaned closer and whispered in my ear. "Ready to give Alice a little payback?"

Recalling our conversation from the car on Sunday, I readily agreed. "Just go with me here, ok?" I nodded in response with a wide ass grin on my face.

Bella sat forward and picked up her drink. No one else was paying her any attention until I gasped. She threw the last of her drink on my chest. "Bella, what happened?" I yelled, as I jumped up, trying to stop the liquid from getting on the couch or anything else.

"Oh, Edward. I'm so sorry, babe. Here, let me just take that wet shirt off of you." She quickly grabbed my shirt at the hem and then yanked it over my head. "Now, problem solved. Sit back down so we don't miss anymore of the movie."

Like a good boyfriend, I sat back down. Instead of sitting between Alice and me, Bella sat across me in the corner of the couch. Her butt was nestled in the corner and her legs were across my lap with her feet in Alice's lap. Alice stared at her for a moment, as if Bella had lost her mind, then settled back down with her head on Jasper's shoulder.

It was a few minutes later when I felt Bella's hand in my hair. I couldn't help it and moaned at the feeling.

Alice cleared her throat**,** but didn't say anything.

It didn't take Bella long to move her hand to my shoulder that was closest to Alice. She started rubbing it with small gentle strokes that I could feel in my dick. By some miracle, I kept that moan in. But I had to move to adjust myself.

"Edward, be still." Alice hissed.

"Sorry, Alice. Shhh." I hushed her back.

Bella kissed the shoulder she was curled up onto and giggled. She then laid her head on my shoulder**, **but brought her right hand to my stomach. My bare stomach. She started caressing it and rubbing her nails across it. I sucked in air in reaction. She was driving me crazy.

Not caring who was in the room anymore, I turned my head and stole a kiss. Then, I ran my tongue along her bottom lip, before gently sucking her top lip into my mouth. She opened for me and I thrust my tongue into her mouth. Quick, firm strokes before I lightly scraped my teeth against her bottom lip. One of us must have made a noise, because CB Cullen struck again.

"Edward Cullen, so help me, if you get us thrown out of here, I will not be held responsible for my actions!" Alice huffed,as she threw a pillow at me.

Bella laughed. "Payback is a bitch, ain't it, Alice?"

Alice snorted.

We toned it down and rearranged our seating so that Bella was now tucked under my arm, with her head almost leaning on the arm of the couch. This put her stomach, right in my line of vision especially that belly button ring. I reached over and put my hand on her stomach this time. I gently ran a finger over the ring. I looked at her and said, "E?"

"Yeah, E. I hoped you knew it was for you." She whispered.

"Does it hurt when I touch it?" I asked, curiosity getting the best of me.

"No, it feels good actually." She answered.

I left my hand on her stomach and continued to play with the ring. Alice got up and gave out blankets. Bella had fallen asleep but, before I could, I grabbed my phone for the final text. I set it to send first thing in the morning. I fell asleep with her in my arms and I felt like my dreams had come true.

**:: " **_**I've got all I'll ever need, Thanks to the keeper of the stars**_**" ~E::**

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**Another note: I hope I have replied to everyone that has reviewed. If I missed you, I apologize and blame it on FFnet :). Thanks to everyone of you, I love the reviews, and exclaim over each of them including reading them to Mr. CC.**

_**PSA: Emotional and verbal abuse is ABUSE. It has effects, as far reaching as physical and sexual abuse as well as neglect, but it is not reported as often. If you know of someone that is being abused, help them by either contacting the authorities or offering to help. Being a social worker, I wish I never had to look into the eyes of another child begging for escape from abusive caretakers.**_

**"Holy Water" was written for Big Kenny's sister that suffered from domestic violence. Another wonderful song about the effects of abuse is "Because of You" by Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson. Jason Michael Carroll has a song, "Alyssa Lies" that I can't listen to because I cry. Whether or not you have ever gone to a child's funeral that was killed directly or indirectly by a parent, this song will make you help every child you suspect of being abused. (Links are on my profile.)**

**Stepping down from the soapbox,**

**CC**


	10. Good Morning Beautiful

A/N - Surprise! On my way to work this morning, Bella and Esme wanted to talk- so here it is and it's unbeta'd, so all mistakes are mine. The chapter title song is Good Morning Beautiful by Steve Holy.

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**Chapter 10 Good Morning Beautiful**

Bella POV

I awoke when I felt lips on my forehead. Not wanting to open my eyes, I took a breath and inhaled Edward's scent. I snuggled into his chest and took a deeper breath. Deciding to see what Edward was up to, I placed a kiss on his chest then looked up towards his face. I saw green eyes looking at me, but they didn't belong to Edward.

Esme was standing behind us and had leaned down to kiss me. She had a grin on her face from watching my reaction. "Shhh, sweetheart. Carlisle is getting for his shift at the hospital, and I just came in to check on everyone."

Embarrassed, I replied, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Cullen. I should get up and-"

"No, you are fine," she interrupted me. "First, call me Esme or something else besides Ms. Cullen. It makes me feel old. Next, let me explain my reasons for being ok with everyone falling asleep down here. I've always encouraged my children to be open with me and talk about anything. Would I have been ok with each couple going off to a bedroom? No. But I remember what it's like to be young and in a relationship. I don't mean to embarrass you, but if my kids want to be sexually active, they are not going to take the time to ask my permission. Plus, it's easy and if you are going to do it there are plenty of opportunities other than spending the night at each other's house. Now, if I had sent everyone to separate rooms, I can tell you what would have happened.

"Everyone would have pretended to go to bed and go to sleep. Then about thirty minutes later, Emmett would have snuck into the room and convinced Rose to come down here with him. Since you and Edward have the newest relationship, Jasper would have gone to Alice's room and asked you to give them a little time together alone and sent you to Edward's room. Then each couple is together and worried about getting caught, but excited to get to spend time together. I'm sure make out sessions would have heated up and possibly even led to more, with the thought of limited time together. So, I wake up in the morning to three couples that have gone further than I want to think about, but they are all back in the proper bedrooms.

"Now, I have awoken to six friends that fell asleep cuddling. Kisses goodnight were shared, but that was probably it. I'm not stupid, any of you could have gone off by yourselves for a little while, but I doubt you would have. Spending time together, talking, snuggling, learning each other, is important to build a relationship.

"We can talk more in the morning. You make my son happy and that's enough for me. Just go back to sleep for now." Esme finished in a quiet whisper, then stroked my hair and kissed me again before kissing Edward and walking out the room.

Wow, my mother would never have been understanding about that, neither would Charlie for that matter. But what she said made sense. I could see why Edward and Alice were so loving and stable. Their mom accepted them. Instead of setting them up to fail, Esme gave them the opportunities to make better choices.

I looked from the doorway to Edward, thinking I was lucky to have had this beautiful boy like me. Once again, I found myself staring into a set of green eyes.

"Good morning, beautiful. How was your night?" He whispered.

"Wonderful, with you by my side. Since you came along, I can face the dawn cause I know you'll be there." I paraphrased the song back to him.

He smiled down at me as we stared into each other's eyes. We were both still sleepy but I could feel him all over. He was laying on his back, with the recliner leaned back, while I was on my side facing him. My leg was thrown over his and my arms were around his chest. My head was laying on his shoulder.

I felt safe, protected, and cared about with no expectations. I knew we weren't in love yet, but I was falling for him.

"Your mom is wonderful." I murmured as I closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of being wrapped in his arms.

"Uh, huh, she is. Sleep, baby, so that when I open my eyes and see your sweet face again, I know it will be a good morning, beautiful day." He closed his eyes, and started humming the song close to my ear before he drifted back to sleep.

I laid there, just thinking about everything. I was happy and felt something else that I wasn't sure I had ever felt before, or at least not in recent years. As I drifted off, I realized what I was feeling, was peace.

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**Boys of Fall is up for Fic of the Month at The Lemonade Stand. Please vote! Link is on my profile. Those ladies are fabulous.**

I, also, beta two stories that you should check out. They are in my Favorites.

A Sub Search by TeamAllTwilight

So It Begins by StartTheFantasy


	11. Sweet Thing

**A/N: Lots of love and thanks to Cullen Concession and LasVegas TowGirls. They are the quickest beta/prereader ever :) **

**Disclaimer: SM owns the characters, Kenny owns the fic title, and the song for the chapter belongs to Keith Urban. Links on my profile.**

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Chapter 11 Sweet Thing

The past few weeks of my life had been a slice of heaven. After school, my time was spent either playing football or with Bella. Bella. Her name made me smile. I felt like I had known her all my life. We just fit together and it was natural.

I woke up and thought about her, and I went to bed and dreamt of her. In other relationships, I had always tried to be nice but it was an effort to remember things. With Bella, it was effortless.

I loved everything about her. And that was my major problem. Was I positive that it was love and how would I really know? Since I doubted it, did that make it not real?

I listed off the things I knew I loved: talking with her, spending time with her, holding her, and I fucking loved kissing her. I had no problems asking her to the Homecoming dance and to be in the Court for Homecoming Queen. I knew it was more of a popularity contest, but there was no one else I wanted to escort out on that field.

But I was scared to say my feelings out loud. I felt like such a wuss. I decided it was time to talk with my Dad. I figured catching him at the hospital guaranteed me more privacy than at home. When I knocked on his office door, to say he was surprised was an understatement.

"Son, is everything ok?" He asked quickly while he came over to hug me.

"Yeah, yeah I just needed to talk with you, if that's alright."

"You know it is. You, Alice, and your mom come before anything else." He answered as he was dialing the receptionist to let her know that he would be unavailable until he contacted her again.

I realized, in that moment how much he did put us first, in everything he did.

We sat on the couch after he got off the phone. "So what's up, Edward?" Dad was never one to beat around the bush either.

I groaned as I put my head in my hands. This just felt like such a big deal. "If I doubt something, does that make it less real?" I asked.

"You don't ask the easy questions, do you?" He laughed. "I'd have to say it would depend on the subject. Care to be a little more specific for me?"

"God, Dad, this sounds so cliché, but how do you know the one? How do you know if it's love?" I questioned him.

"So you decided not to make it any easier on me still, huh?" He chuckled. "Son, emotions are never easy to figure out and when you think you have, you need to start over. I'm assuming you are talking about Bella." At my nod, he continued. "I know you know the story of how I met your mom, but let me tell you how I felt. The first time I saw her, I felt sucker punched in the stomach and then I wanted to pick her up and protect her. Not caveman protect, but a feeling that I never wanted her to be hurt again. I wanted to be with her. I needed to be close. Every plan I made from that point on, always included her or I wanted her opinion on it. I didn't recognize it as love at the time but looking back, I can tell you without a doubt I felt all of those things.

"I can't tell you if you are in love with Bella. Only you can feel that and know for certain. But earlier you mentioned if when you doubt something you are wondering if you love her, then that is the usual first sign."

The more we talked, the more comfortable I became. I had a great set of parents. I even told Dad about Bella's history and asked if he had any advice.

"That's a lot for her to have to handle so young in life. But what it sounds like to me is that anything you give Bella, needs to be unconditional. I hope that's the way you feel about your mom and me. But with Bella, just be careful that you are open and honest. Sounds like she's not had a lot of that in her life. Just be careful with yourself too.

"I know I said earlier that I can't tell you what you feel, but hearing your questions and concerns tell me that what you feel for her is more than friendship. Take it one day at a time."

I spent the rest of the afternoon with my dad, even going on rounds with him. I hadn't spent a lot time with him the past few months and I had unknowingly missed him.

I felt better after talking with him and decided to pay attention to the little things.

༺ BOF ༻

The weekend before Homecoming, Bella and I went out by ourselves. We usually spent time with the whole group but I wanted to be alone. We were so limited in things to do by ourselves in Forks, that we didn't have a plan. We decided against a movie, wanting to spend time with each other and not confined to no talking.

After eating in Port Angeles, we walked on the boardwalk, hand in hand and just enjoyed looking out over the harbor. We commented on things that caught our attention but mostly stayed silent. I felt totally surrounded by her. I wanted to feel her in my arms.

I pulled us over toward the railing and looked over the water. I was still so nervous in her presence but I couldn't wait another moment to touch her. When I glanced at her, she had her arms crossed hugging herself for warmth.

"Bella, babe, why didn't you tell me you were cold?" I quietly admonished her as I pulled her into my chest and wrapped my arms around her.

"Honestly, I think the wind just picked up and chilled me. Besides I knew I could steal some of your body heat." She replied as she snuggled her nose into my chest.

After a moment, I made a suggestion. "Come on, let's get back to your truck." Bella knew her truck was not my favorite thing, but it had been a gift from Charlie and she wanted to drive it every once in awhile. So, tonight we had taken her truck but she had handed me the keys.

One benefit to her truck, it had a bench seat. Which meant Bella could sit beside me, not just in the seat next to me. On our walk back to the truck, a light rain began. We rushed and climbed in to keep from getting wet.

After getting warmed up, which included kissing Bella, I finally started heading home. I didn't want the night to end yet and we had a couple more hours before Bella's curfew. I was resigned to heading home and having another movie night in the basement.

A few minutes outside of town, Bella slipped her hand on my thigh. Every ounce of my attention was focused on her hand. She would idly move her thumb and pinky in small circles. I felt every move she made. When I looked at her, she was just staring out the window, lost in thought.

I wanted to pull over and park. Yeah, I was horny and just wanted to kiss Bella without someone interrupting, or watching, or Alice blowing the fucking horn. I wanted to touch more of her and feel her body close to mine.

I was coming up on a spot I knew would be perfect. An old logging road that curved around and couldn't be seen from the highway but was graveled, so I didn't have to worry about getting stuck in the mud. The rain had gotten heavier the further we got away from PA.

I decided to take a chance and started preparing for the turn. Bella finally turned and looked at me with a raised brow. I started to worry that I had overstepped an unspoken boundary, when she smiled and winked.

That small action caused relief to sweep through my body. I drove the truck down the road until I could no longer see the highway, then found a small area that had obviously been used to park the vehicles before. I pulled in and turned around so we could see the small logging road.

I turned the engine off, then turned to pull my ipod out so we could listen to music.

The rain hit the roof of the truck with small pings and created a mist around us. I shifted so that my back was leaning against the door. I held my hand out to Bella and she quickly intertwined our fingers. With a gentle pull, I pulled her body closer.

"Will you hold me?"

"Of course, you never have to ask." I straightened my leg out along the seat of the truck and pulled her body to me so that her back was against my chest. She leaned her head back against my shoulder and hummed. I wrapped my arms around her and rested my hands over her stomach. I could feel that belly button ring through her shirt now that I knew it was there. I was obsessed with that thing.

We sat together, not speaking, just enjoying the music and the pleasure of being in each other's company. I gently kissed the side of her head and started singing lowly with the song. She moved so that her arms rested on top of mine and began to rub her fingers along my forearms.

I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. Such a simple move was turning me on faster than I wanted to admit. I moved my head to the side and kissed her cheek. She let out a sigh and started using her nails to lightly scratch where she had been rubbing my arms. This motion sent a message straight to my cock, and there would be no hiding how it was affecting me soon.

From the angle she was leaning against me, she would not be able to feel me yet. I decided to test her boundaries and started moving my thumbs on her stomach. Our movements had caused her shirt to ride up, plus she was wearing low rise jeans. With a little effort, I was able to touch bare skin with my next motion.

She gasped and then stopped breathing when she felt my thumbs on her stomach. I stilled my hands and whispered, "Breathe, Bella." I couldn't resist touching the ring in her belly button. That little dangling 'E' made me crazy.

I turned my head again to kiss her but was met with her lips instead of her cheek. I pressed my lips to hers gently at first and then more firmly, as I opened my mouth to nibble on her bottom lip. Bella's hands had grabbed my wrists at some point and she was tightening her grip.

I started to pull away thinking that this was too much when I felt her tongue touch my bottom lip. Our kiss intensified as usual and it heated me up. I was driven to touch more of her.

When I finally regained my bearings, I noticed Bella had shifted. She was no longer leaning back on me, but had turned and was leaning against me on her left side. I could feel her shallow breaths as she tried to regain control. There was no doubt in my mind that she could now feel the reaction she caused in me. In fact, she was applying a small amount of pressure from her hips directly to my hardened dick.

I gently brought my hands to her face and cupped it to bring her forward for another kiss. When our lips touched again, it felt like every sensation was magnified. Her taste was indescribable. My tongue slipped into her mouth and she lightly scraped her teeth over it before gently sucking on it, causing it to throb in rhythm with my cock.

I was so hard, and both of us were pressing into each other to get friction. My hand drifted down her arm to settle on her stomach where I started caressing the bare skin beneath the 'E'. We stayed connected, even when we needed to breathe. I would give her small brushes of my lips at the corner of her mouth and then move to her jaw, leaving small kisses in my path.

She moved her head to the side, so I had better access of her neck. I nuzzled her there and continued my trail of kisses to her collarbone. As I moved back up, I started darting my tongue out to taste her skin. That taste made me want to mark her, something I had never done before.

I was so hot and hard, that I was pressing her hips into me with my hand at her waist. Slowly, to give Bella time to stop me, I moved my hand up her side, but over her top. My thumb was constantly moving, caressing her through her shirt.

"Oh, God. Edward. Hmmm." Bella moaned and encouraged me to keep moving. When I felt the contour of her bra, I paused and just rubbed along the bottom edge of it on her side.

"Bella, baby, I want to touch you. Are you ok with that?" I barely groaned out, praying she wouldn't deny me.

"Yes, please, Edward. Please." She hummed.

Before she finished answering, I captured her mouth in another kiss and ran my tongue along her lips. I sucked her top lip in my mouth and was rewarded with a small hiss, and she was pushing against me now with her body, without my help.

Time stood still for me as I shifted my hand and cupped her breast in my palm. Although her nipples were already hard, when I ran my thumb over one, she stiffened even more and then pressed her chest into my hand. I'd do anything my Bella wanted me to, so I obliged and used my hand to squeeze and massage her before lightly pinching her nipple.

Bella gasped, then lifted up, and turned so she was kneeling in between my legs on the seat but facing me. Her head was actually above mine now and as she kissed me, she pressed my head against the window with her intensity. I was not going to pass up this opportunity and brought my other hand up to play with her other breast, too. Her hands were in my hair; one was at the nape of my neck playing with the ends of my hair while the other was threaded through the longer strands on top, pulling slightly.

I let out a growl when she pulled my hair. A fucking growl. Then, I lost a little control and a lot of reserve.

"Hmmm, ohmm, Edward, I love the way you're making me feel." She murmured. I gave her nipples one more tug then ran my hands back to her hips, then to the backs of her thighs. I raised her up slightly and pulled her over my legs, so she was now straddling me. She leaned back a little and looked into my eyes. I tried to sit forward to kiss her again when she put her hands on my shoulders and pressed my back against the door again.

Still looking me in the eyes, she slid her knees forward, and lowered her hips until she was sitting on my dick. I was almost gone with that first sweet touch.

"Belllllaaa" I hissed out, my head jerking back to hit the window again while I closed my eyes in ecstasy with her on top of me. I could feel her heat and weight pressing into me and I was surprised I hadn't exploded.

She moaned out another, "Edward," with such a sound of wonderment that I had to open my eyes and see my dream girl. She was a vision. Her arms were wrapped around my shoulders, her body straddling my lap, and her head bowed down with her eyes closed but a smile on her face. My hands tightened on her hips and she then tightened her legs and set off a range of feelings within me. I couldn't help myself and thrusted my hips into hers for some relief.

She whimpered as I whispered, "Feels so damn good, baby."

"Do that again, Edward, please." She shyly requested.

I pushed up again and she rocked against me. "Like this, baby?"

"Oh yeah, just like that!" She responded and closed her eyes. I leaned forward and put my forehead against hers. She opened her eyes to look directly into mine. I hoped she could see my unspoken question asking for more in my eyes. She smiled and gave me a small kiss, then started nibbling her way to my jaw. She was pulling herself closer and I could now feel those small hard pebbles against my own chest.

By now she had reached my ear and was slowing running her tongue along the outside shell, at the same time I noticed her unbuttoning her shirt, she whispered straight into my ear, "More, Edward."

"Oh, God, yes." I groaned out. As she leaned back, I could see her open shirt and purple silk covering her tits. I raised my hands again to cup her and the sight of my hands against the dark purple bra and her pale skin, made by cock jump.

Bella's eyes widened in surprise, and then she pressed down harder on to me with her hips as she gasped loudly. Rougher than I wanted to be but as gentle as possible, I leaned forward again and kissed her hard. I pushed my tongue into her mouth and touched every part of her I could reach. At the same time, I started rocking my hips into hers.

We were both breathing hard and panting between kisses. Bella squeezed me tighter in her arms and I moved my hands back to her hips to help rock her against my length. I rolled my hips so she could feel every inch of how hard she made me.

She threw her head back as I started moving faster. Her neck was too tempting and I moved forward to place open mouth kisses on her bare skin. I couldn't resist nipping her a little, right beneath her ear.

"Holy hell," she responded and I lost it. I pulled her skin into my mouth and sucked hard. When I added my tongue to the suction, she groaned then pressed against me harder with her entire body. Her thighs clenched and held me tight and I could barely breath with the strength she was squeezing my chest with, but I managed to keep moving. I rocked up against her, once, twice, and then again, before I exploded.

I'd like to say I watched my Bella cum for me and on me, but the truth was, I was too engrossed with my own feelings. Coming down from our orgasmic high, we stayed wrapped around each other- just holding on tight.

"Bella, I... that was... I wish..." I started rambling.

"Edward, that was one of the best experiences of my life. Just shhh, and hold me."

"You don't have to ask." And like a good boyfriend, I stayed quiet, and just held her tighter.

As much as I hated to move, after about ten minutes I was uncomfortable. Jizz was just gross once the fun was over. It's cold, wet, and sticky. And my pants and boxers were full of it. Shit. I don't think I had ever cum that much and why wasn't cum from a girl as sticky? Hmmm, Bella cumming- hopefully next time with less clothes. Just thinking about it made my dick start to stiffen again.

Bella giggled at my reaction. "Umm, I'm glad that you are recovered, but we don't have time for another round."

I glanced at my watch and realized we had been parked longer than I thought. I only had five minutes to get Bella home by curfew, and we still had fifteen miles to go. I jerked up and starting buttoning Bella's shirt. "We've got to go." I was trying to get her straightened up and she couldn't stop giggling.

"Edward, calm down. I'll just call and tell him we are on the way home but I'd rather be a few minutes late and let him know, than to speed anymore than you already do."

"Ok, ok, call him." I kissed her before letting her go and turning in my seat. I wished I hadn't. The movement reminded me I had a mess in my pants. I looked down at myself to see the damage. Why did I have to wear faded jeans tonight? I looked like I had pissed all over myself or jizzed everywhere. Of course that was the truth, but not something I wanted to broadcast to the world. At some point during our little session, Bella had untucked my shirt. When had she done that? I didn't remember that happening, but I sure was glad now. If I ran into anyone, I could at least cover the worst of it up.

While I had been fixing my mess, Bella was calling the Chief.

"Dad, we're running a few minutes behind. I just wanted to let you know because I know you don't want us to break the law, _Chief_." Bella listened to him for a moment. "Things just took longer than we planned. We'll be there in a few." She paused again. "Ok, dad, see you then."

"Everything ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think he just wants to give me a hard time. He was glad that I called though, since we had gone out of town. No worries." Bella explained as she situated herself closer to me and put her head on my shoulder. She kissed my shoulder. "I had fun tonight. Enjoyed having you to myself."

"Me too, babe, me too. I want to spend more time with you by myself, but I want you to be comfortable with that. Are you ok with tonight?" I couldn't bring myself to say the words aloud, but I needed to make sure she was all right with the step we had taken.

"Yeah, are you? Did you…enjoy it?" Bella blushed and looked away, like she was scared that I hadn't liked it.

"Uh, Bella, have you not noticed the mess I'm in?" I motioned toward my lap. "I don't think I have ever enjoyed anything more."

"Really?" She asked quietly.

"Yes, really."

"Edward, thank you. You know that was a first for me. I've never had that happen with anyone."

I swallowed hard. I knew that she was a virgin and she knew I was not, but we hadn't talked about other experiences. Suddenly, I was filled with doubt. "So you, um, are ok or…" I drifted off not sure what to say. As usual, Bella picked up on my feelings and started talking.

"No, don't start over thinking, Edward Anthony Cullen. That was wonderful, amazing, and fabulous, and you had better not think one negative thing about it. In fact, I think you had better prepare to do that a lot more in the future. So unless you like being messy, I suggest you put your thinking skills to use by coming up with a plan to achieve us doing that and without the mess." I didn't have time to say anything because we were at her house. This woman knew how to keep me on my toes. All shy and innocent one minute, and the next she was a siren.

I groaned as I noticed Chief Swan standing on the front porch. Damn, I was going to have to get out of the truck in front of him. I swore I saw him smirk at me, as I put the truck in park. It was definitely replaced with a murderous glare when he looked at Bella.

Wondering what was wrong, I turned to look at her through eyes not filled with lust. "Fuck me." I almost yelled.

Bella turned to me and said, "What the heck, Edward? My dad is standing right there and he looks like he is searching for his gun. Watch your mouth."

"Bella, your hair is a little, um, wild, like when you first wake up, your lips are swollen, and kill me now, there's a hickey on your neck." What had I done to her?

"Well, in your little planning session, you might want to include a comb, mirror, and chapstick in your supply list." She sassed.

I was getting ready to meet my death sentence and she was smiling and sassing me. Supply list? We were going to need enough supplies for a list? I helped her out of the truck and tried to at least pull her hair over the hickey, so he wouldn't notice it. I might make it out alive if I could avoid him seeing that right away.

Bella just took my hand and started walking me toward my car. "Sorry, dad, I fell asleep on the way home. Edward needs to head home so he's not late too. Thanks for understanding."

My eyes were anywhere but on Chief Swan. As we walked past him, I swear I heard him mumble, "Uh huh and I wasn't born yesterday. I got some oceanfront property in Arizona, too."

When we got to my car, Bella stood in front of me to block her dad's view. Never thought I would be standing this close to my girlfriend's father, with my pants full of cum, a hickey on said girlfriend's neck, and her looking like she had just rolled out of bed, and live to talk about it. If looks could kill, I would be dead.

Bella distracted me by rubbing her pinky along my arm. She started at my shoulder, then slowly glided it over my bicep and forearm. I thought my eyes might roll back in my head and the only thing that kept me still, instead of attacking Bella, was the knowledge that the Chief was paid to carry a gun.

When she got to my hand, she hooked her pinky with mine. "I've claimed another finger, Cullen. This one means I want you. I want more of you." She smiled, winked, and kissed me on the cheek before walking toward her dad.

I got in my car in a daze. I looked at Bella, standing by her dad, waving bye to me. She had her thumb and middle finger slightly tucked so that 'our' three fingers showed. Chief Swan was still glaring at me. I looked his way, without looking him in the eyes, and nodded my head to him before I waved to Bella.

The sight of her made me grin, even with her dad watching. She was beautiful and she was mine. Not even her dad could take away what I felt tonight. I wanted to shout to the world that she was with me, and we had just had a great messy night together. We stared at each other until I had to look away to drive.

It felt so right looking at her. As I drove away, I could feel a part of me being left behind. I was almost home when I realized what I was leaving. My heart. It belonged to Bella now.

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**BOF has been nominated for Best Edward at the Sunflower Awards, please go vote for your favorite fics there. Link is on my profile.**

**I have some fics recommendations:**

**My Soul to Save by CullenConcession – riveting and real and I can't wait for Edward to arrive to save her.**

**So It Begins by StartTheFantasy – the sweetest Mobward along with some HOT loving and a protective Esme…**

**A Sub Search by TeamAllTwilight – Edward as a sub, on his knees, obeying your every command, need I say more?**

**Life is What Happens by StillWaters72 – a younger Edward, cute kids, college, and a cheating ex=Life**


	12. Find Out Who Your Friends Are

This chapter is by special request from Cullen Concession. It has not been betaed so all mistakes are mine.

Usual Disclaimer- SM owns. Chapter Song belongs to Tracy Lawrence, Kenny Chesney, and Tim McGraw

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Chapter 12 Find Out Who Your Friends Are

I could honestly say that tonight made my list of the top ten days of my life. I was floating on cloud nine and smiling like an idiot. I was in my world of Bella.

As I pulled in our driveway, I noticed that mom and dad's car was missing and the house was dark. Great, I could slip inside and take a shower without anyone noticing. I didn't take into account that Emmett and Jasper were still there.

I walked into the house and stopped. I could hear Emmett snoring from the basement. I was in the clear. I just felt gross at this point and stripped out of my shirt before going any further. I even swiped it at the waist of my jeans.

I made my way up the stairs and headed straight to my bathroom unbuttoning my jeans on the way. I felt like I was walking with something stuck up my ass trying to keep my clothes away from my body. I wasn't really watching what I was doing and didn't flip the lights on as I entered the bathroom.

I was in the middle of yanking my pants and boxers down when the door to Alice's room opened and the room flooded with light.

"Oh, SHIT." Jasper yelled and then squealed like a girl.

**Emmett POV**

I was woken up by sound of someone cursing and lots of squealing. Was that Jasper and Alice? What the hell was going on? I jumped up and ran upstairs, straight to Alice's room. No one was going to harm my friends, not when I was in the house.

Alice was sitting up in bed, wrapped up in a sheet, one hand in the air and the other hand over her mouth, staring at her bathroom. What I saw next, was priceless.

Jasper was standing in the doorway butt ass naked. Not a stitch of clothes to be seen.

Then there was Edward in the bathroom, with his pants down to his knees. As I looked closer, I busted out laughing.

Jasper had obviously been going to the bathroom to clean up. He and Alice had been 'playing around' and he had jizz dripping off his stomach. Edward wasn't in much better shape but his was older. His was now dry and even flaking but he was staring wide eyed at Jasper's stomach.

I doubled over in laughter. Deep bellowing guffaws, that I could not stop. When Edward finally looked at me, he yanked his pants back up but not before making a face. I laughed harder and went to my knees.

Jasper finally grabbed a towel to cover himself. Of course, we could all still see the cum. I would kill to have a camera, although I was still laughing too hard to move.

Edward finally spoke. "Emmett, shut the hell up. This is not funny." He even pointed at me like that would help. "J, what…I mean…oh, shit I need brain bleach." Edward stammered out.

Alice gasped and we all turned to look at her. She was still in the same position as when I entered the room. "Jazz, I really need it." She barely whispered out, as she blushed brighter than Bella. "It's running down my arm." She said under her breath. No one heard her but me and it kept me in stitches.

"For the love of all that's Holy, are you saying you want him now, with me and Emmett in the room? Ally, I just can't take it." Edward was staring at her and just shaking his head back and forth like he was in shock.

I didn't think it was possible but Alice got pinker, including her ears. "Oh my God, Edward, that is just wrong on so many levels. I need a damn washcloth, if you have to know!" She whisper yelled.

This spurred Jasper back in action and he turned to the sink and got a wet cloth and a dry towel to give to Alice. I tried not to look but it was obvious he was getting rid of the evidence on him, too.

Man, I wished I had some popcorn for this show.

"Ally, I can't…" Edward fumbled out as he continued to stare at Alice. I knew the exact moment when it dawned on him that she was naked under the covers. His brows drew together and you could see that vein in his forehead start to pulse. "You and Jasper were up here…no, I refuse to even think it." My bro was in some major denial.

Little Alice could hold her own though, and I couldn't wait for her to start putting all the pieces together.

Damn, some popcorn and a coke would be nice.

Jasper figured it out first. He was now sitting on the edge of the bed. As he stared at Edward he commented, "Man, isn't that a little like throwing stones in a glass house?"

Alice turned to look at her brother. She took in the 'wet' spot stains on his jeans and the obvious evidence that he had been in the same situation as Jasper, but with clothes on. Edward blushed under Alice's scrutiny. She cocked her eyebrow and proceeded to turn the tables on Edward.

"Well, well, well. It's not like I wanted to see you dangling your junk out with dried crap all over it. Don't you know how to clean up? Man, get a clue and get some tissues or wipes to take care of that after it happens." She waved her hand toward his crotch.

Edward's mouth opened then closed several times, like he couldn't decide what to say. The sound of Edward's phone alerting him to a text broke his concentration. Shaking his head he finally said, "Let's never speak of this again."

I busted out laughing again. "Yeah, like that'll happen. I hereby declare tonight- Jizzfest of 2011 and shall remind you of it often."

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**Let me know if you liked hearing from Emmett! **

**Thanks for all your reviews, I am trying to reply to all of them but will be glad when FF gets it together.**

**CC**


	13. Amazed that Love Don't Run

So very sorry for the lack of updates. Edward refused to talk. The usual applies. Now on to what you really want!

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Amazed that Love Don't Run

Emmett was on my last damn nerve. Every time I turned around, he was talking about the 'Jizzfest'. Hell, I was even referring to it as that in my head now. So far, I had kept it from Bella, but I knew it was only a matter of time and I knew I couldn't protect Bella from it forever. I just hoped she found out later, rather than sooner.

The week of homecoming was going to be hectic. Between school, football practice, the extra activities, and trying to block Emmett, I was already exhausted. On Monday, we had to stay after school and take pictures for the newspaper. That should have been an easy time but I forgot to factor in extra time for Emmett. Actually, this time it really wasn't his fault, but the girl he was sponsoring. Irina, Tanya's younger sister, had begged Emmett to sponsor her for Homecoming Queen.

Our school had a policy that only senior football players could sponsor someone in the Homecoming Court and only girls from our school could be sponsored. The other rule was that the Queen had to be a senior, all other grades were not eligible to win. Generally, there were a few senior players that were dating juniors or sophomores, but still escorted their girlfriends even though they couldn't be Queen.

Since Emmett couldn't ask Rose, he agreed to sponsor Irina. The problem with Irina was that she was spoiled and expected to be waited on. And Emmett only pampered Rose. So they started butting heads, two minutes after he agreed to escort her.

She wanted the team to wear our gold jerseys for the game so it would coordinate with her dress. She even went to Coach Banner who ended up just ignoring her. She complained loud and often about her dress clashing with our uniforms.

I thanked God for Bella. She just reconfirmed that I didn't have a preference and said she would handle it. The team didn't have to do too much, we were already wearing our jerseys during school this week.

We were on the bleachers waiting on the girls for our pictures. Bella was wearing a pale yellow dress that took my breath away when I saw her. Alice was beside her, but I barely noticed her. They both walked closer to Jasper and me. I was speechless.

Emmett chose that moment to launch his attack. He whistled, then patted me on the back and said a little too loud, "Now, that's something to blow your load for, Eddie."

Bella blushed brighter than I had ever seen her do before and ducked her head. I was livid, because she was so embarrassed. I reached for her hand and pulled her into my lap so she could hide her face in my neck.

I gritted my teeth, as I growled out, "It's Edward, you dumb ass. Could you have been a little louder?"

Jasper was close enough to Emmett to pop him in the head. Alice had had enough and decided it was time to fight back. "Well, at least some of us had a little fun last Saturday night. What about you, Emmett?"

Emmett replied back with, "Hmmm, Alleycat, depends on your definition of fun." I tuned them out as they bantered back and forth.

I had wrapped my arms Bella. I leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "Baby, I'm sorry. I should have told you earlier. When I got home, I kinda ran into Jasper in the same condition as me and he screamed like a girl, so Emmett came running. Em hasn't left either of us alone since it happened. I was hoping the newness would wear off before I had to tell you."

I barely heard her ask, "So you didn't tell him?"

"I would never give him details. Never. That's between you and me. I can't promise that I won't talk to my best friends about some things but never, ever details. And if they ever make you uncomfortable, then you just have to tell me, ok?" I felt her nod against my shoulder. I whispered the rest of what happened so that she was caught up.

I started humming in her ear. I could feel her gathering courage for herself and knew the moment she had decided to brave the rest of them again, when she straightened her back. There was a spark in her eyes that I felt meant bad news for Emmett.

Bella and Alice disappeared after the pictures and came back giggling. I almost felt sorry for Emmett, but not really. Jasper and I had something up our sleeves for Friday night, too.

The next morning began Operation Crush. It involved crickets, tuna, and Irina. Anything and everything that would annoy Emmett. I would not be riding in his truck until he got that smell out. Their pranks did make the week go by faster. I was ready for Homecoming night.

I felt like I had waited on this night forever. It was a big night for the team and for seniors. We were playing the La Push Wolves, the same team we had played for the exhibition game. Coach had planned to sit the seniors out as much as possible during the first half of the game since the Queen would be announced at halftime. That plan didn't work though because our defense couldn't hold it together.

I had been working with the second string quarterback, John, and he was playing well. But Coach ended up sending Emmett, Felix, and Garrett out onto the field during the second quarter, to keep the Wolves from scoring again. I laughed to myself thinking how irritated Irina was going to be that Emmett would be all sweaty when he escorted her out onto the field.

This played into my plans for Emmett for the night. Jasper and I were fed up with all the jokes this week. Emmett managed to turn everything into a reference about 'Jizzfest'. Alice and Bella had struck back by pumping Irina up and making her do things that were driving him crazy.

I thought Emmett was going to toss her off the float Thursday afternoon, when she showed up with a comb and hairspray to flatten his hair. The girls had told her that Emmett couldn't control his hair and hated for it to curl and that he really admired how smooth Irina's was. She took it a step further and decided to help him out. I couldn't wait to see his face when he realized it was Bella and Alice behind all the things happening to him this week.

The plan Jasper and I had come up with would come together during the half time ceremony. We had to ask Ben to get involved since he helped tally the votes for homecoming queen. Having suffered pranks from Emmett most if his life too, he was more than willing to help.

As half time drew closer, I kept looking back at Bella. She was beautiful. She had surprised me again. There were twelve girls in the court. A few of them were cheerleaders and chose to wear their uniforms, like Alice. Most of the other girls had on short prom like dresses. But not my Bella.

No, my Bella walked to the beat of her own drum and once again proved how much she was fine with everyone knowing we were together. I had no clue where she had gotten it from, but she had a dress that looked like a jersey but the opposite color of mine. We were wearing our blue jerseys that had white lettering. Her dress was white, tight, and short. On the front in dark blue was my number "7" and on the back, was my number and "Cullen" in blue.

We had talked earlier in the week and she was hoping not to win. She didn't want the attention and didn't feel like she deserved it, since she had only been here a couple of months. We were both hoping Alice would win. The King and Queen did not have to be a couple and I could really care less if I won or not.

I was excited to just show Bella off though and to see Emmett. Jasper came over to stand by me.

"Captain, think we could cut out a few seconds early and head over to our girls?" He grinned at me.

"Sounds like a plan, we can at least wait next to the gate." Yeah, we were whipped. As we got closer to the gate and the area where the girls were seated, we could hear Irina. I swore, I thought she was not even acting like her normal self. She was complaining about walking out on the field. She wanted to be announced first but since it went alphabetically, she was in the middle. Bella and I were at the end since I was captain of the team.

Bella surprised with me with her hand on my shoulder. She and Alice were standing behind us, but her smile was forced. "Edward, if I have to hear one more time how she will make the school pay if she gets grass stains on her shoes, I will not be responsible for my actions."

"I'm a little tired of hearing about Tanya and when she was homecoming queen. I think we need to get Emmett's jock strap after the game and gag her with it." Alice agreed.

"Allie, that would kill the girl." Jasper looked at her in amusement.

"It would shut her up." We all laughed out loud and then heard the whistle blow indicating the end of the quarter. We headed toward the locker rooms to wait until we were called out to the field. The guys that played would have a couple of minutes to clean up but not long enough to really help.

The band was out on the field playing while the junior varsity cheerleading squad performed a dance. As the song wrapped up, the crowd started stomping their feet. It was like a swell of noise that built until the announcer finally broke through to introduce the mayor.

Emmett joined the line up just as the mayor started talking about the night and what a 'momentous occasion' this was. As he moved into place beside Irina and took her arm, the mayor paused at the same time Irina gasped out, "Oh my God, you are so wet and sweaty and dirty." Her voice got louder with each word.

Everyone in the stands heard her, and I had never heard the stadium that quiet before during a game. Emmett just looked at her and pulled her closer so that he was touching her as much as possible. He just looked at her and winked before he said, "In your dreams, honey, in your dreams only."

The mayor had finally found his voice again and started announcing the 'court'. There were three couples ahead of Emmett and Irina. As he announced, "Irina Denali sponsored by Emmett McCarty", Irina took a step forward but Emmett stayed still. They looked like they were doing some weird dance, then when he decided to move he was walking so fast that Irina lost her shoe. Irina bent over to pick it up and put it back on and ended up flashing the stands more than she intended to. You could hear her mother gasp out loud.

We were trying hard to hold in our laughter but we had experienced too much of Irina this week to spare her. Jessica and Mike were still giggling as they walked out.

Things turned a little more normal when Alice turned around waiting for her turn. I was proud of her when they called her name and Jasper led her forward on the field. She took a step and waved to the crowd and the applause was tremendous. Alice was a bundle of energy but she was loved by everyone.

"And last but certainly not least, our very own Captain of the Forks Spartan Varsity Football team, Edward Cullen escorting Isabella Swan." I looked at Bella as the announcement was made. She was already watching me and smiled. I was happy that I was sharing this moment with her.

We took a step forward and Bella grasped my bicep tighter to keep from tripping. "Don't let me fall." She whispered.

"I promise, 'I won't let go'." I hummed into her ear. "And if you fall, I'll catch you." She looked up at me and had tears in her eyes, but her eyes were bright and she was smiling. She made me feel ten feet tall. In that moment, I had no more doubts.

We took our place in line. I glanced at Jasper and we were both grinning. The mayor started talking again about the process of becoming the Queen. Then he finally mentioned the envelope holding the winner's name. Most of the girls were holding their breaths. Bella was smiling at Alice and Irina looked ready to step forward to take the crown.

"But first, we have the honor of our reigning Queen here to pass the crown to her successor." I looked over in shock to see Tanya in the crowd, holding a bouquet of roses and the crown. When she saw me, she winked. I just raised my brow at her, questioning her action. She turned to watch the mayor. I had no problem with her being here but it was a surprise. We were over and there were no feelings there.

Tanya took the microphone and waved to the crowd. "I am so thankful to be back tonight at my alma mater. It seems like only yesterday, I was on this field praying for my name to be called, instead of a year ago. It is going to be great to crown the next Queen and catch up with old friends." When she turned around, she looked at me again.

What was that about? I hadn't seen her since graduation and we hadn't dated since months before that. Why was she suddenly showing me attention? I was glad when the mayor started talking again.

"And without further ado, the winner of the Homecoming Court for this year and our new Queen is…Miss Emmy Dale McCarty!" The mayor boomed out to the gasps of the crowd.

"What. The. Hell. Emmy?" Irina screeched. By now, the stands had realized the 'error' and were laughing. All the girls on the field were wide eyed and openmouthed in shock. Jasper and I were trying not to fall down with our laughter; our bodies were literally shaking from trying to hold it in.

For several moments, chaos reigned. Irina was stomping her foot and talking a mile a minute but no one was listening. We were all watching Emmett.

At first, Emmett stood there just opening his mouth and then closing it, looking like a fish. His eyes turned stormy for a moment. He was no girl and to be called a queen was a little much. Then Irina proceeded to hit him in the chest, while screaming at him.

Irina marched up to the mayor and demanded the crown, "They obviously listed the escort's name instead of the winner. Emmett sponsored me, so I am the Queen."

Emmett had finally had enough and marched over to her. "Worst decision ever to escort you, lady. But they called my name. That crown is mine." He then jerked the crown from Tanya and slammed it on his head.

The principal and several faculty had come out onto the field and were examining the envelope. They even called Ben down. Finally, the principal took over. "Obviously, there was an error in printing out the winner's name. We have been assured that the numbers can be reviewed and we will announce the winner at the same time the King is announced at the dance." He went on with more information but Emmett refused to give the crown back saying he should be allowed to pass it on to his successor.

I think the principal gave in to avoid an argument. Emmett turned around and glared at Jasper and me. He took two fingers and pointed them at his eyes then at us in the universal sign of 'I'm watching you'. We just shrugged and tried to act like we had no clue what was happening.

Emmett kept that crown and when he wasn't on the field, it was on his head. The crowd loved it and roared whenever he put it on. The second half passed quickly and before we knew it, victory was ours and it was time to head over to the dance.

The girls went ahead of us in Jasper's truck, while we got cleaned up. The dance was being held at the community center in town just a few blocks away from the school. I hurried through my shower since I had played the second half. At my locker, I reached for my clean jersey. When my hand touched it, I realized this would be the last high school homecoming football game I would play in.

This was it. Time was going by. I wouldn't walk in this locker room next year and plan out strategies to win the game. I wouldn't joke about naming Emmett as Queen. I wasn't sad really, but I took a few steps back to sit on the bench.

Jasper looked over at me and asked, "You ok, E?"

"Yeah, just realized that it won't be us at these lockers next year."

He looked around and simply stated, "Lots of memories here." He held his fist out to me and I bumped it with mine. My chest was tight with my thoughts but the one constant one was the need to get to Bella. We got dressed to head to our girls.

When we got to the dance, I searched for Bella and found her with the gang sitting down around several tables. I walked up to her and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.

She grabbed my hand and held it in hers. "Edward, are you ok?"

I shook my head and placed my 'need you' finger gently against her lips. She instantly understood that I just needed her. She stood up and wrapped her arms around me. I rested my forehead against hers and reveled in being close to her and grounded again. I wasn't sure how long we stayed like that but she didn't let go until I relaxed.

"I'm ok. Just dealing with memories." I smiled at her and she returned it, before frowning as she looked around the room. Leaning into her, I could smell tequila. "Got started a little early, huh?"

"Yeah, and now I need a bathroom break." Bella turned to Alice and suggested they go to the bathrooms together. As they left, I could tell Bella was distracted and her attention was somewhere else.

Emmett was passing out cups and what I assumed was shots of whatever alcohol he smuggled out of his house. We toasted to our win and then he refilled our glasses. I couldn't help but look at Jasper and smirk about our Queen prank on Emmett. As I started drinking the second one, I felt Bella slide on to my lap but my attention was on Jasper.

Everything was happening in slow motion. I put my hand on Bella's hip but it was a little softer than normal. I turned my head to kiss her neck when Jasper made a face of pure horror. My head was against hers but my eyes were locked with Jasper's. I was suddenly terrified for Alice again, since she hadn't returned.

I quickly looked over my shoulder to see what he was staring at. I turned to see Alice and Bella standing across the floor. Wait. What the hell? Bella was on my lap, in my arms, I had almost kissed her. With dawning horror, I realized it wasn't my Bella but Tanya so close to me. In the past few seconds, Tanya had even managed to wrap her arms around me. I knew it must look like we were in an intimate embrace.

I jerked around and stood up. "Tanya, what are you doing? Why are you touching me?" I didn't wait for answers, I had to go to Bella. Looking around, they were gone. "J, where did they go, man?" I was tugging my hand through my hair. This couldn't be happening.

I ran to the door and looked outside but didn't see Bella or Alice. Where would they go? I searched the bathrooms but the girls in line said they were not in there. Jasper caught up with me. "Edward, calm down. When Bella stops reacting, she will know it wasn't what it looked like. We need to find my truck because that's what they drove over here in."

He helped me look over the parking lot. "They won't go far. They've been drinking so probably just went somewhere to clear their heads." Jasper tried to reassure me. I took my phone out and tried calling both of the girls but it kept going to voicemail. I wanted to throw the phone. I wanted to punch a wall. I wanted to rip the hair off Tanya's head.

We went back inside to see if by some miracle the girls had shown back up. They hadn't, but Tanya and Irina were still at our table. She reached out for me again. "Don't touch me. Don't ever fucking touch me again." I growled out. It was taking every ounce of self-control and reminders of the morals that Esme had instilled in me, not to hurt Tanya.

"Geez, Edward. You would think I had committed murder. I was just trying to say hello." Tanya laughed out but walked away before I could say anything else.

I sank into a chair and put my head in my hands. Sixty seconds was what it had taken to turn my life upside down. Hearing a commotion at the back door, I turned only to have my heart feel like it was in a vise. At least, I knew where she was now.

Jacob Black. He was touching my girl. His arm was thrown across her shoulders and then he leaned toward her and ran his finger over her cheek. They were surrounded by the players from the other team. I was livid and heartbroken. I couldn't move anything except my eyes. I watched them walk closer, then Jacob stopped and pulled her on the dance floor. I waited for a sign from her. I was silently begging her to look at me.

Jealousy. Envy. Despair. Anger. Hurt. Fear. They all ran through me in an unending circle. Would Bella really dump me that fast? Without even talking with me. I couldn't lose her, I needed her, I wanted her, I loved her.

Hell, yes. I loved her and would not lose her without a fight. I stood up and leaned against the wall and watched her. She finally looked at me, and I opened my soul for her to see. She glanced back up at Jacob and said something then started walking toward me. With every step she made, I could feel the hole in my heart closing, but it was still there.

When she reached me, she finally gave me a small smile. My eyes had not left hers. "Edward, do you know Jacob Black? We've been friends since we were babies." Bella asked me.

"Jacob." I said and gave him a quick nod. I knew of him but we had never hung around each other.

"Jacob, this is Edward Cullen, my boyfriend." With those words, my eyes went straight back to her. She patted Jacob's arm then moved to stand by me.

"Yeah, Bella and I used to make mud pies together." Jacob laughed. "We've been friends forever." He and Bella exchanged a few more comments but I could only concentrate on her. I wanted to reach out and hold her, but I was scared.

It seemed forever until Jacob left. I didn't even speak to him other than his name when they first came over. "Bella, ple-." I started to talk.

She interrupted me with a finger on my lips. "Shhh. It's ok. We're ok, right?" I could only nod as her finger was still against my lips. "I trust you. The alcohol had muddled my brain and I reacted. Will you tell me what happened?"

"Baby, it was so fast. I was paying attention to Jasper and I thought it was you. I knew something was off but I just didn't put it together until I saw Jasper's face and turned around. I am so sorry. I would never hurt you. I would never cheat on you. I can't lose you." I finally pulled her to me and wrapped my arms around her. She closed the hole in my heart that the recent events had created. She leaned up and kissed me. I deepened the kiss and held her as tight as I could.

"You are my life. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Bella, I love you."

"Edward, oh God, I love you, too. Once I calmed down, I knew that it wasn't what it looked like. Then Jake and his friends came up. I am sorry for just walking out. I shouldn't have walked back in with him like that. There's only you, I'm yours."

I didn't care how possessive I sounded, I growled out, "Mine." I kissed her and poured every ounce of feeling I had for her in it. "I love you and I am yours." We stood there wrapped up in each other and blocked out the world.

It took several tries for Alice and Jasper to get our attention and bring us back to reality. It was time to crown the winners for king and queen and the court was supposed to head to the stage.

We walked to the area but I could care less what was happening. The principal was talking but to me it sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher, 'wah, wuh, wah, wah…' I did notice when Emmett walked up and Tanya tried to take the crown off his head. My eyes narrowed as I looked at her and thought about what her actions could have cost me.

Bella tugged on my arm and whispered, "I love you, Edward."

I whispered back, "And I love you, only you." I saw Bella watching Tanya. Tanya kept glancing at me and I could tell that it was irritating Bella. I wanted him to announce the winners so we could leave. I wanted to celebrate with Bella.

I was so happy that we had both said "I love you" and I wasn't paying attention until Bella's nails dug into my arm. I swore I heard her mutter, "bitch" under her breath. Finally, I heard Alice Cullen being called out. She had won Homecoming Queen.

I turned to hug her before she went forward. Then it was announced that Jasper was the King. I clapped him on the back as he headed to Alice. Emmett had reluctantly given the crown to Alice, but had stubbornly refused to allow Tanya to touch it. I wanted to high five him. He did pull out a Burger King crown, from where I had no clue, and popped it on his head. He wore it with pride.

We danced and took pictures then the group decided to head to my house to wrap the night up. As we started saying goodnight to everyone, Tanya and Irina came over to the group. In a surprising move, Irina thanked Emmett for sponsoring her and hugged his neck.

Tanya walked over to me and reached out to put her hand on my neck and leaned in like she was going to kiss me. I was already stepping back out of her reach, when Bella grabbed her wrist. "Oh, hell no. You do not touch MY Edward ever again." Bella used the hold she had on Tanya to push her back. "Do you understand me, Tanya?" Bella stepped closer to her and was in her face. "I will mess you up if I ever catch you in his space."

Fuck! That was hot. I could barely concentrate on what she was saying and doing, since my cock was now paying attention. Then holy hell, Bella swirled around and kissed me. Not a quick peck, but an open mouth, tongue probing, teeth raking kiss in front of everyone.

When she released me, she turned to the gang and said, "Are you coming?" Emmett started to laugh until she turned her death glare on him. I had never seen Emmett close his mouth so quickly.

I grabbed her hand, pulled her in for a quick kiss, and said, "I love you, Bella."

I heard several gasps as we headed out the door, but we didn't turn around. I was ready to get MY Bella home.


	14. Don't You Wanna Stay

**So I think shorter chapters might work a little better for me. Mucho love to Cullen Concession and LasVegas Towgirls, they are the fastest in the world. I'm dedicating this chapter to the fabulous Teresa M.H. Thank you for letting me vent! **

**Usual disclaimers except this chapter song belongs to Jason Aldean featuring Kelly Clarkson, listen to it while you read.**

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Don't You Wanna Stay

It was the weekend after homecoming and we were all in the basement watching movies. Normally, this week would have been a downer coming off the previous one with so much going on. But this year, nothing could keep me down.

The reason for that was sitting in front of me. Bella was actually sitting in between my legs and leaning back against my chest.

"I want to have a party!" Alice stated out of the blue.

"Why do you want to have a party?" Bella asked among all the groans.

"I want us to dress up for Halloween and have a party here and invite all our friends," Alice pouted.

"Why not convince someone else to have the party, we go there all dressed up but come back here when we get bored?" Bella suggested.

I wanted to high five my girl but that would mean moving my arms from around her, so I just squeezed her a little. That was the best idea I had ever heard. Everyone else seemed to be in agreement.

"No, no that won't work. I have a plan." Alice started explaining herself.

"Alice, you don't get paid to think," Emmett muttered. Jasper threw popcorn at Emmett for that comment.

"At least hear her out, man." Jasper snapped, then Alice reached up and kissed him. He pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. I wondered if they were going to come up for air, especially since we were all watching them.

"Dude, come on. It's bad enough you do that crap with me in the room, but do you have to start when we are looking at you?" I threw a pillow at them for good measure.

Alice finally leaned back and said, "Thank you, Jazzy, for defending me."

"So what's this idea?" Rose spoke up.

"I want to have a Halloween party with a theme of the old West. The guys can dress up as cowboys, Indians, or outlaws. And the girls, or at least the three of us, can be saloon girls. We can decorate the place like an old timey saloon." By the time she was finished with her description, she was bouncing on the edge of her seat and clapping. The girls talked about it for a few minutes.

"Alice, can I make a suggestion? Why don't you make it a fundraiser for the squad? Have it where the girls have to sign up to be a 'saloon girl', their date has to buy a special ticket, and anyone else can purchase tickets at regular price. If you don't sign up, then you have to come dressed as someone else from that time period. That way you have a lot of manpower to help get it together and clean it up."

"Oh my God, that is fantastic, Bella," Alice squealed out before jumping toward Bella and landing in my lap. She was hugging Bella, then me, then back to Bella, all the while expanding on Bella's suggestion. I glanced over at Jasper asking for a little help, but he just shook his head at me. I proceeded to flip him off.

He just laughed but a few minutes later he grabbed Alice's hand and pulled her back to their side of the couch. "Come on, Miss Party Planner, we need to finish watching the movie. You'll have plenty of time to get everything together at school on Monday."

I was still in awe of the way that Jasper was able to calm Alice. They fit together and I was happy that they were working out. I often caught them just staring at each other, as if they were talking telepathically.

But nothing made me as happy as Bella. Since we had shared our feelings, we both felt free. I felt a lightheartedness that had been missing for a while before she came into my life. I saw her face in my dreams now, not just my brown haired dream girl. Just last night, I had dreamed of us.

I felt myself stirring to life with my memories. I closed my eyes briefly and gave in to the sensation of the dream. I didn't recognize the place we were at, but I recognized the car, Alice's Porsche. I had no clue why we were in Alice's car but I couldn't control my dreams. Besides the car didn't really matter, what did matter was that Bella was on the hood of it in some pink and silver bra and cheekies. The other thing I noticed was her belly ring. There was only one ring but it had several falling stars just hanging down. In my dream, I was bent over Bella tracing those stars with my tongue.

And that did it. I was now sporting a problem. With the way Bella was sitting and leaning against me, she could feel me getting hard. She turned her head to look at me and raised a brow. I just smirked and leaned forward to kiss her. She deliberately moved so she was now sideways and her arm was lying across my lap. She gently started applying pressure to my cock. No one was paying us any attention but I knew that nothing else could happen here. I sat there a few minutes and just savored the feelings and her movements. As she became bolder, I knew we needed to take this somewhere else.

"I'm going to get my lounge pants, do you want to change so we can get settled for the night and 'you can stay for a little while'?" I leaned up and asked her.

With her own smirk, she answered, "Sure, baby, I wanna stay. Let's go." The other four were in their own worlds and I doubt if they knew we had even left the room. I hadn't lied, we were going to change, but I was hoping to take awhile doing it.

Taking Bella's hand, I led her upstairs to my room. As soon as we cleared the doorway, I closed the door and turned the lock. I leaned back against the door and pulled her to me. With deliberate slowness, I put my hands on her face and started kissing her. She eagerly kissed me back and I could feel her hands on my shoulders. She was standing between my legs and I placed my hands on her hips and brought her body closer to mine. We fit together so perfectly. All I wanted to do was grind against her and relieve some of the tension in my body. She seemed to feel the same.

I could feel how hot and wet she was when she moved her leg and straddled one of mine and started rubbing herself on my thigh. She whimpered and I groaned as we broke away from kissing. Taking her hands in mine, I led her to the bed.

I sat on the edge with my legs over the side and instead of sitting beside me, Bella straddled my lap. While she put her hands in my hair and pulled my head closer to kiss me, I pulled our hips together to feel her heat on my cock. I loved when we did this, but I was hoping she was ready to go further.

As if she could read my mind, she started unbuttoning her shirt. I looked in her eyes and with a slight nod from her, I took over. I had touched her everywhere over her clothes, but this was new and I was anxious. I was ready to cum without even dry humping. I willed myself to relax a little before unbuttoning the last button.

As it slid free, her shirt fell open and I whispered, "Beautiful." I moved my hands up into her hair and pulled her forward for another kiss. I was slow, giving her time to process everything and to be comfortable. My hands slid from her hair and caressed her back, then moved to her sides where I lightly touched her skin. I felt her shiver.

"Cold, baby?" I murmured as I kissed down her jaw and nuzzled her neck.

"No, in fact, it's a little warm in here." I heard a hint of teasing in her tone. I couldn't resist moving to her neck and placing small, quick, wet kisses there. I moved my hands up and cupped a breast in each hand. I felt her nipples harden through the material of her shirt and bra. I grazed my thumbs over the peaks, teasing her. She moaned and let her head fall back.

I felt her hair brush my knees. I kissed her exposed throat then moved to her collarbone. I nudged her shirt with my nose to move it out of the way. With a slight shrug of her shoulders, the shirt slipped and I helped her take it off while staring into her eyes.

I trailed my hands around her bare skin starting with her hands and moving up her arms, skimming her collarbone, lightly tracing a trail down her chest and onto her stomach. She got goose bumps as I touched her. When I grabbed her hips and held her still, I moved my hips into her and she let out a small, quiet moan.

She had on a miniskirt and the only things separating us were my jeans and a thin scrap of satin. I needed to feel her close to me, skin to skin. I leaned back and quickly took my t-shirt off and threw it on the floor. With my skin now bare, Bella started rubbing her hands on me. Across my shoulders and arms, she lightly scratched with her nails. My skin was so sensitive, I was going into overload.

Not delaying anymore, I grasped the hook on her bra and released it. Bella let out a sigh. When she moved to let the bra drop off her shoulders, it put her chest so close to my face. Without really thinking, I cupped each breast again as before but without the material this time. I touched each nipple and rubbed them under my thumbs. Keeping my left hand on her right breast, I continued to toy with it and touch it. With my right hand, I cupped her left one and leaned down to take it in my mouth. I groaned at the sensation of her in my mouth. I rolled my tongue around her nipple and sucked it until I couldn't stand it anymore.

Almost roughly, I released her tit from my mouth and leaned up to catch her mouth in a deep kiss. We dueled for space in each other's mouths and raked our tongues together. I swore Bella's hands were everywhere at once. I could feel them in my hair, then on my back, grasping my biceps, then flickering over my own nipples.

With a growl, I flipped her over so she was laying in the middle of my bed with me hovering over her. In our position, I could feel every inch of her. I bucked against her with my hips without conscious thought. I couldn't stop kissing her, moving from her mouth to her throat and to her breasts, giving each one attention. I was on fire and felt fevered. I had never felt this overwhelming need before.

I needed to be close to her. I needed to touch her. I needed to be inside her.

"Oh God, Bella, so good, you feel so perfect, so soft." Bella's breaths were as ragged as mine were. My body had a mind of its own and when Bella lifted her legs and hooked them around my hips, I lost it. I was thrusting my hips into her. I wanted to yank my jeans down and I wanted to rip that piece of satin away. Bella's movements were just as frantic as mine. She kept whimpering my name.

I felt her grab my ass and push herself into me. She was now moving in quick thrusts and I could feel her legs tightening around my hips. I watched her face and saw her eyes begin to widen and her breaths become shallow. My only thought was of her and watching her as she lost herself. She came crying my name.

I slowed my movements to help extend her orgasm. I was still hard and hurting, but it was worth it to see my girl in this moment. I could tell when she started coming back to reality. Her eyes focused on me and she moved her hands to tug on my hair to bring me forward for a kiss. Her legs released my hips and relaxed.

Our kiss was slow and sweet, and I was trying to get my body under control. I hadn't gotten my release but I was trying to be a gentleman. Not everything was about me. Damn, this was hard, I was hard.

Bella pulled at my torso and I could tell my weight was more than she could handle right now. I slipped to the side, to lay beside her. Bella turned on her side while giving me another kiss. I was trying to breathe deep. She pushed me until I was now the one laying on my back, then draped herself halfway over me. One leg was thrown over mine, an arm across my stomach, and her head was nestled into my shoulder. I was still trying to calm down, but being in contact with her was not helping.

I heard her giggle. Was she laughing at me?

"Babe, did you think I would just leave you like that, if I could help it?"

"Well, you were finished and I'm trying to calm down. I'll be ok."

"No, that's not the way this relationship works. It's give and take on both sides. There might be times where only one of us finds release but that won't be the norm. You gave me one, now I'm taking yours."

While she was talking, her hand had steadily moved south and had already unbuttoned my jeans. She pulled the zipper down, then looked at me, "Is this ok?"

"Hell yes, it's ok." I answered embarrassingly quickly.

I helped her remove my jeans and boxers. I was too hard to care about much at this point. I couldn't wait to see what she had planned. My cock twitched in anticipation. She felt it move against her hand and she chuckled.

"Does it do that often?" She asked.

"With you around, yeah it does," I answered her as I leaned over for a kiss.

"You'll have to show me what to do, I've never…"

I tipped her head up with a finger on her chin. "It's ok, Bella, I wish you were my first, too. But just do what feels good, I promise it will feel wonderful to me."

It took every ounce of self-control I had, not to come when she wrapped her hand around my cock for the first time. Then she squeezed and my control was tested further. I knew this would not take long.

She was a little surprised to find drops of cum already on the tip. When she swirled the moisture around and then cupped my balls with her other hand, I moaned aloud. I couldn't stop from moving in her hand and thrusting my hips a little.

"Hmmm, like that? I think you need to cum more than I need to play though, so I'll leave the exploring to next time."

Holy hell, she was already plotting out next time in her head. Her hand had not stopped moving while she was talking. Up, down, tight, loose, swipe around the head and over again. She then tapped her fingers against my length. It was like a dick massage and it put me at the edge.

"Baby, I'm getting ready to cum." She tightened her hand around me and with several more pumps with her fist, I was cumming. I wanted to shout. I threw my head back and actually turned and bit into the pillow to keep from roaring out and waking the house. I had never cum so hard before in my life. I was floating. It was like an out of body experience. Hmm, maybe there was something to that saying from the 'rents that feelings made sex better.

Once again, I felt like I was in heaven with Bella in my arms. "I love you, Bella."

"And I love you, with all that I am, Edward."

We stayed together a little longer but knew we had to go back downstairs, if Bella wanted to stay the night. After cleaning up, we changed and headed to the basement.

The gang had just started watching a bootlegged version of _Water for Elephants_. I loved that elephant and Reese Witherspoon was one of my favorite actresses. It was a good movie to end the night with.

As Bella and I got comfortable and settled in our recliner for the night, I couldn't help but think how I felt a lot like Jacob from the movie. I loved Bella and only wanted the best for her, no matter what and I would do anything for her. Those were my last thoughts as I drifted off to sleep with the girl of my dreams in my arms.

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**I'm trying with the citrus, I promise we will get there! I also have a new person that has stepped in and is helping me beta, she wants to remain anonymous right now but I love her all the same. **

**CC**


	15. The Man I Want to Be

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to SM, fic title to KC, chapter title to Chris Young. (Links on my profile.) Any lines from the books, movies, or songs belong to them. Was there any doubt?**

**Lots of thanks to Cullen Concession and Heidilynn Cullen, you guys are fantastic. More notes at the end.**

**WARNING: Discussions of abuse in this chapter.**

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**The Man I Want to Be**

That period of time before all hell breaks loose; it's called the calm before the storm. Not the eye of the storm, but everything that happened before it hits. That was what my life was like. Everything had been calm and wonderful, my own slice of heaven, except those few moments involving Tanya at the dance. Was it too much just to let it remain that way?

Much like the dance, everything was perfect one minute and with the ringing of the phone, it was turned upside down.

We were at the library after school working on a project. We had to do all our research old school style, no internet. Almost the entire senior class had stayed to work together in the library. It was actually fun this way. We were all seated in the same area at huge tables with our reference books pulled out and spread across the tables. We would all read and make notes for a few minutes then someone would crack a joke or ask a question and we would all talk a bit then go back to studying.

It was during one of those quiet study times that Bella's cell phone rang. She grabbed it out of her backpack and silenced it. Looking at the screen, she mouthed 'Renee', then selected talk.

"Hey, mom. How's it going?"

"Not that you would know, but everything is fine. Why don't you ever call me, Bella? Did I do something wrong? Or do you just not love me anymore since you now live with your father?" I could hear Renee talking through the phone.

"No, mom, of course I love you. I've just been busy. In fact, I'm at the library with a study group, so can I call you back?" Bella's face was once again drawn and tired looking like when she had first moved to Forks. Not even a minute into the conversation, and it was wearing her down. She looked at me and motioned that she was going to go outside. Obviously, her mom didn't want Bella to call back but rather she wanted to talk now.

We could hear Bella make some noncommittal noises in the phone as she walked away. I could see her pacing outside the library doors. I got up to head her way in case she needed me. As I came up to her outside, I brushed a quick kiss against her cheek and held her hand. She stared up at me for a brief moment.

"Bella, Bella, Bella are you there?"

"Yeah, mom, I'm still here. Edward stepped out of the library and I got distracted. I'm sorry."

"So are you dating this boy now?"

"Yeah, we are." I could hear the smile in Bella's voice. Taking her hand, I led her to a bench nearby and sat down with her.

"Well, if you are dating then you spend enough time with him. Can't you at least pay attention to me when we are on the phone? Is Charlie letting you see this boy all the time? You aren't screwing him are you? You know everyone will just think you are a whore if you do."

"Mom, what? No, it's not like that. Charlie knows when we go out, and I am talking with you."

Bella hid her face from me and I could tell her face was flushed, I wasn't sure if it was in anger or embarrassment. I heard several other comments about not buying the cow if you can get the milk for free, and eating icing if Bella wanted to keep me. What the hell was this woman on? Was she comparing Bella to a cow? Was she insinuating that I was taking advantage of Bella? I wanted to yank that phone out of Bella's hand and tell her mother where to go.

When I looked back at Bella, a tear had escaped and was slowly rolling down her face. The sight of that single tear wrenched my heart. I tuned back into what Bella was saying.

"Mom, he's not like that. I promise he's not doing that." I couldn't hear what Renee was saying anymore, but Bella's comments were making my blood pressure rise. Bella's grip on my hand had tightened until it was uncomfortable, but there was no way I would ask her to let go.

"Thanksgiving? I don't know, mom. I mean it's just a few days and I have exams when I get back to school. Plus the cost of a ticket." Her mom talked for several minutes.

"It's not that I want to spend more time with Charlie than you. It's about the practicality and feasibility of it, mom. I don't love him more and Edward has nothing to do with my plans for Thanksgiving." Tears were running down her face faster than I could wipe them away.

Bella eventually was able to ask about Phil and the call turned for the better. As long as Bella paid close attention to what her mom was saying and responded quickly, the conversation went smooth.

"Eww, mom, I don't want to know that Phil takes a little blue pill nor how often. You're my mom, not my best friend!" Bella's face was scrunched up and she looked exasperated. "No, you can't be both. I need you to be my mom." I held my breath hoping that their exchange wouldn't go back to making Bella cry.

I was never so glad to hear the word bye in all my life when Bella finished that call. I didn't know what to say or do, so I just sat there and held her hand like my life depended on it.

"How can one conversation go from guilt, blame, envy, shame, belittling, arguing, back to guilt to jokes? Why can't she be normal and happy for me?"

"I don't know, baby. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really, but the things she says are so hurtful and she doesn't seem to realize or care."

I pulled her closer to me and wrapped my arms around her. We stayed like that a few minutes, when I heard her sniffling. Reaching down, I pulled her face up.

"Talk to me. It's ok. Just let it out. I won't judge you or her. But I am here for you, nobody else but you. I love you, Bella."

"I love you too, Edward. But do you think I am a whore?"

"What the hell? Why would you even think that, Bella? You are precious and sweet and the fartherest thing from a whore that I have ever met. Have I ever made you feel that way?"

Looking at me, huge tears spilled out of her eyes. "No, but I needed to make sure. She makes me doubt myself. I have to hear her tell me that if I have sex with you that you will no longer want me but that if 'I don't put out' then you're getting it somewhere else and cheating on me. She doesn't want me to hang out with you. She basically told me I was 'spreading my legs' instead of studying for good grades."

I was dumbfounded. Was this what Bella had lived with for seventeen years? I was lost. How could I help Bella?

I kept her in my arms and murmured that I loved her over and over, all while my mind was racing and charged with energy. Alice. I needed Alice. As if on cue, Alice, Jasper, and Emmett walked out of the library carrying our backpacks. Alice came over and wrapped her arms around Bella and me.

I knew I had tears in my eyes when I looked at Alice. She gave me a small, sad smile before she said, "Come on, let's go to our house. Mom will have some of your favorite cookies." Mom, she would know what to do. I needed to get Bella to my mom.

We all headed to our cars. I kept looking at Bella and she was no longer crying but those big tears were still in her eyes. I threw Jasper my keys and opened the back door of my car for Bella. I was going to hold her and never let her go. I wanted to erase all the bad things. I wanted to protect her so she could never be hurt again. The only tears that ever fell from her eyes should be happy tears.

I was furious at things Renee had said about me. But for now, I concentrated on Bella. I kept her tucked in under my arm and she alternated laying her head on my shoulder and just staring out the window. Before I knew it, we were turning into our driveway. I helped Bella out of the car but it was like she was a zombie. Just like she had been at the airport.

We walked into the house and headed to the basement. I sat down and instead of sitting beside me, Bella sat in my lap and laid her head against my chest. I kissed her head and started to hum to help her calm down and slightly rocked her in my arms.

I felt someone sit beside me and figured it was Alice, but it was Mom. She gathered Bella's hands in her own and squeezed. She leaned close to Bella and touched her cheek. "My sweet, sweet girl. You are so full of light, peace, and love. You are a part of our family and we love you so very much. You rest and let us help heal you, baby girl." Mom spoke, then reached in and hugged Bella.

As mom wrapped her arms around Bella, her defenses fell. Her breath caught on a sob, then the well burst and tears were falling. Bella wrapped her right arm around my mom and hugged her tight, as she grabbed my hand with her left one. She wouldn't release us but she finally let her own emotions go. I had no clue how long we stayed wrapped up together. I knew that the rest of the gang was there and I felt them touch me occasionally, but I was too focused on Bella.

Even after she was cried out, Bella didn't release her hold on us. In the quiet, I started humming again until I felt a hand on my knee. I opened my eyes and looked into eyes so similar to the eyes of the girl in my lap. And just like Bella, there were huge tears in her father's bloodshot eyes. I wondered how long he had been here.

He gently touched Bella's shoulder and when she looked at him, she whispered a single word, "Daddy."

He switched places with my mom and pulled Bella to him. He sat there and held her and rocked her. "It's going to be ok. You're here now. I love you, Bells. And you are not going there for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Blame it on me. Tell her to call me. Do you hear me, Bells? No more. No more shit from her. You don't even have to answer the damn phone when she calls unless you want too. This ends now."

"But she's my mother."

"That's right. She is your mother, not your child for you to take care of, or a patient, or friend, or anything else. If she can't act like a mother, then she shouldn't interact with you."

Bella started to cry again. I wasn't sure how much more she could take.

"Charlie, Bella- the doctor in me needs to make sure you are ok, sweetheart. Will you answer a few questions?" My dad interrupted the conversation. I hadn't even realized he was home.

Bella looked at him, then nodded.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"My head hurts but I'm sure it's from crying and my stomach doesn't feel good but that is usual when I get stressed." Bella responded.

"So physically, everything's normal. How about emotionally? Can you stop crying, do you need to cry more, what are you feeling?"

"I don't know. I feel confused and kind of numb, unless I start thinking about something specific and then I can't stop the tears."

He leaned forward and took her pulse. "I would like to give you a small dose of a pill for panic attacks, to help with the anxiety, and get you to a normal calm. It will help you sleep tonight. This is not a prescription, but a one-time dose just to help you. It's a basic pill for emergency situations."

"I don't want to be weak but whatever you think is best. You're the doctor." Bella sighed.

Dad explained the medicine to Charlie a little more in depth and they both agreed that Bella should take it. It would take about fifteen minutes before Bella would start feeling any effects from it. Mom came back in the room to let everyone know that dinner would be ready about the same time.

Dad talked to Bella a few more minutes but she wouldn't move far from me, and I was glad. I didn't want to be separated either. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett started heading out to help with dinner.

I looked at Bella to make sure she was ok, and I got a small smile. As I looked in her eyes, I could see they were glazed over. Bella would never make it as a druggie. "I think I need to go freshen up." Her balance was off as she stood up and I quickly caught her before she could fall. She giggled.

"Dad, are you sure you gave her the right dosage?" Bella grinned then smacked my stomach.

"No, I'm just a lightweight. I feel kinda high, actually. But better. Much better. Thank you for helping me." She leaned forward and kissed me. Since both our fathers were watching, I stepped back before she could deepen the kiss.

She put her hands on her hips and actually stomped her foot. "Is there something wrong with kissing me now, Edward?" She demanded.

I looked over her shoulder to our dads. Charlie was trying to scowl at me, but it was ruined by snorts of laughter.

"Omm, no?"

"Edward Anthony, are you asking me? Do you not know?"

Oh, hell. What had I done? I mouthed 'help me' to my dad and he just shook his head at me. I called him a traitor under my breath.

"I'm waiting." Bella stood there tapping her foot.

"Uh, I don't know. What was the question again?" Both dads were vehemently shaking their heads at me now.

"You don't know the question! Were you even listening to me? I thought you loved me, why are you doing this?"

I was confused. "Doing what? Do you need help to the bathroom?" I asked hoping to redirect the conversation.

"No, I can make it to the bathroom all on my own, thank you very much. And while I'm gone you need to think about what I mean to you. And think of ways you should pay more attention to what I say." She walked off mumbling about men and y chromosomes and if guys were going to pms why couldn't they have periods.

I watched her walk away in confusion. Our fathers however, were laughing their heads off. "A little help there, dad, would have been nice. What did I do wrong? And what kind of pill did you give her?"

"Son, she's just redirecting her feelings on you right now. She probably won't even remember when she comes back in. The pill was the mildest thing I could give her but she will feel 'high' for the first thirty minutes to an hour, then she will get sleepy. Just agree with her and you will be ok." I wanted to ask for one of those pills.

The rollercoaster of emotions was taking its toll on me. We went from a great study session with friends to heartbreak and now laughter. Dad and Charlie went upstairs to get ready for dinner. I waited on Bella to come out the bathroom.

I nervously watched for her appearance back into the room to see what her reaction to me was going to be. I was blinded by her smile. She hurried straight to me and wrapped her arms around me. "Edward, thank you for everything you did this afternoon. I know I probably need to talk about Renee, but I just want to eat and then relax and go to sleep. Would that be ok?"

"Sure, baby. Whatever you need." I leaned down and kissed her briefly. Bella had other ideas though and pulled me closer. I had resisted her once, I didn't think I could do it again. When I felt her tongue sweep across my bottom lip, I melted into the kiss. Bella's hands were everywhere, in my hair, rubbing my back, she even squeezed my ass. Apparently, when Bella was 'high', she was also frisky.

Mom's yelling that dinner was ready broke us apart. I took Bella's hand and led her to the dining room. We moved to take the last two seats at the table but they were close together. Mom hadn't opened the table up since it was such a simple dinner. A chicken vegetable casserole that was a favorite of mine. When Emmett looked up from serving his plate, he snorted, then elbowed Jasper and pointed to me. Jasper started snickering. They sounded like girls. I thought I heard a growl coming from Charlie. I looked down the table at him and he was scowling now for real. Bella was staring at the ceiling fan. Had I entered the twilight zone?

"Honey, I think you should go wash up in the bathroom." Mom nodded her head at me, then tilted her head telling me to go. Not wanting to argue, I headed to the bathroom.

I turned the water on, then looked up in the mirror. Before I realized what I was doing, I had shouted out Bella's name. I could hear her giggling from the other room. Then I heard her say, "Oh, Dad, give it a rest. I was just paying him back for stepping back from me earlier. It was all carefully planned out by me."

Oh, her plans were going to get me killed. I had two wet handprints on my chest, then my shirt was unbuttoned half way. She had obviously put lipstick on while she was in the bathroom because I now had lipstick all over my lips, my cheeks, my neck, and my collar. When had she even kissed me there? My girl had vampire lips and hands to do all that so quickly without me noticing. Plus my hair was sticking straight up. She had run her hands in it and made it look like I had spikes on my head.

I made quick work of cleaning everything off and straightening my hair and shirt. As I turned around, I caught the sight of a handprint on my ass. Now I did remember that, but I couldn't care. If it made my girl laugh, it was worth it. When I got back to the table, they were still laughing.

I was so thankful that Bella was smiling again, even if it was drug induced. After we ate, Charlie started gathering Bella's stuff to take her home. I wanted her to stay. I wanted to hold her and make sure nothing else would hurt her, especially tonight.

For some reason, I stayed quiet though. I held her hand, I pulled her close, I helped her get ready, and I reassured her. But I was tired. I wasn't sure if I was strong enough. Would I be strong enough to help Bella heal? Would I be strong enough to protect her? How could I be sure that I would be enough? Would the love I had for her carry me through?

As I stood on the porch and watched Bella and Charlie drive away, Mom came and wrapped her arms around me. "I think I need an Edward moment." Oh God, I hugged her tighter. I felt another arm around my shoulder and saw my dad. He embraced both of us.

I felt that unconditional love that we had talked about at his office several weeks ago. I had always felt it. Now more than ever, I wanted to be the man my father was. A good man. A strong man. A brave man. A do what you should man. The man she saw in her dreams.

I sank to my knees and prayed for God to help make me the man I wanted to be.

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**CC**


	16. The Mississippi Squirrel Revival

Yeah, yeah all the normal disclaimers plus not responsible for any heart attacks or strokes cause by the shock of me updating. More at the bottom *grins*

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The Mississippi Squirrel Revival

Emmett POV

Man, I was fucked up. I had never seen anything like that call before in my life. It was interesting to watch Bella after that night. She slept most of the next day but then she was back to normal. I kept looking for clues that she needed some help but none came. I finally broke down and just asked, "Bella, are you really ok?"

"Yeah, I really am. I know it seems odd, but this is the way I have learned to deal with things and not lose my mind. I want to talk about it but I can't dwell on it or else I am handing my life over to that disease. It's better now. I'm with Charlie and Edward." Looking at me, she smiled.

I nodded to her in return. I didn't understand everything, but I could understand letting the past stay there – in the past.

The Halloween dance was right around the corner and luckily this year, there were no elaborate costumes. I was just going to be a gunslinger from the Ole West. I had even worked it so my Rosie could be a saloon gal. Memories of the way Bella had turned Alice's idea into a fundraiser had me chuckling. Bella had a handle on the whirlwind known as Alice and we were all glad.

I was having fun watching ole Eddie. He was wrapped around that girl's finger so tight, I doubt she went to bathroom without him knowing. But he was happy and in my book that was all that really mattered. I couldn't resist picking on them either.

A month after the 'Jizzfest', I sent out invitations for an anniversary party. I cut it down to the Jfest and even posted the notes on their lockers. Of course in the end, it was just the six of us but still, it was fun. I had to hand it to Bella though, she took it like a champ. She even went so far as to mess her hair up and have gel hanging off of her like that movie, _Something About Mary_. Well, I hoped like hell it was gel.

Shaking my head at my wandering thoughts, I made myself laugh. Senior year was a riot so far and I couldn't wait for more. Walking down the hallway of school, I probably looked like a fool. It was about this time though that I walked by the janitor's closet and heard a noise. I had to stop. My feet would go no further.

I leaned my ear against the door and sure enough, I heard some rustling. I couldn't help but grin. Who had I caught? I had nothing against anyone in there. Hell, if Rose was here, I would have her in there as often as she would let me. But I didn't, so I was gonna spoil somebody's fun. I silently laughed in maniacal glee.

Moving closer to the door, I tried the handle but it was locked. I just grinned wider cause I knew there was a key over the ledge. It paid to be friends with everyone, including the janitor.

Putting my ear to door again, I heard a female moan. Pressing harder, I heard the telling sound of a slurp before the male whisper yelled, "Fuck!"

Hell yeah, somebody was getting a BJ and I was gonna witness this walk of shame. I knew I had to time this just right cause I didn't want to see nobody's pecker.

Listening closer, I could hear more moans and whimpers. Wow, these two were pretty good. From his sounds, she must have been deep throating. I couldn't wait to tell the gang. But that was it, this was between me and this couple and my friends. I couldn't leave my buds in the dark. I inserted the key in the door, ready to open it.

The voices became indistinguishable at this point, but I could make out, "More?" "Oh, yeah!" "Like this?" "Oh God, yes!"

How much longer were these two gonna be? I was even getting horny listening to them. That just couldn't happen here at school. Did they forget they were at school? Wonder if it was teachers. Ha! That would make my day.

Finally, I heard the male whisper, "Holy hell, I'm…I'm going to… Fuck …" Then she moaned as he grunted and called her name.

That name froze me. I couldn't stop myself from quoting Edward, "For the love of all that is Holy!" I must have shouted cause the noise behind the door increased as they moved to cover themselves up.

Committed to this path, I swung the door open and met the wide eyes of Alice and Jasper. I was never gonna let them live this down and I had new material to torture Eddie boy with.

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A/N Biggest and most sincere apologies for taking forever to update and it is a short one at that. Writer's block plus I lost a little interest but I believe I am back. Edward will not shut up today. I am writing some original stories on facebook, if you are interested catch me on there and I will add you to the group - it's different and it's not Twilight. Thank you for sticking with me and I promise a new real chapter soon!

Much love, CC


	17. I Don't Want This Night to End

So yeah all the normal disclaimers still apply plus not responsible for any health problems that arise caused by the shock of me updating. Much love to everyone still following and always Heidi and other CC, I still think you guys are the fastest betas and prereaders around. I started to name this one I Shot the Sheriff for Emmett but I couldn't resist Luke. Links on my profile.

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**Chapter 17 I Don't Want This Night to End**

Esme's POV

I stared out the window at our backyard and lost track of time. I had led a sheltered life but I had never realized how much until I started volunteering at the hospital. But Bella, she took us all by surprise with what she had endured.

When she cried, she got the biggest tear drops in her eyes and they stayed there in her eyes, threatening to spill for a long while. Then one would fall and it would open the dam, but they were larger than any tears I had ever seen.

All I wanted to do was wrap her up in my arms and never let her go. My children were the most precious things in the world to me, true gifts from God and I could not imagine them taking care of me they way Bella had taken care of Renee. I watched Edward and Alice as they grew and I tried to let them live and not be overprotective. Boyfriends and girlfriends came and went with no serious matches until Bella and Jasper. I believed with all my heart that my children had met their soul mates.

Looking at the clock, I had daydreamed another half an hour away. I hadn't realized that Carlisle had come home and was standing behind me, just watching me.

"Is there something I can do for you, Dr. Cullen?" I asked with a smile.

"Not a thing. I have everything I need, Ms. Cullen." He reached forward to hold my hand and pulled me into his embrace. I went willingly, resting against his chest, remembering that this man shared my worries and often took them away.

"Are you ready for this party?"

He chuckled before answering. "I would be more ready if Emmett wasn't coming but I think Charlie would have to lock him up to keep him away from a Halloween party."

"I think you are right."

The doorbell rang before we could continue our conversation so I smiled at him and gently kissed him before grabbing my camera. "Pictures, pictures! No one leaves until I take pictures." I yelled before anyone could escape.

The girls came into the kitchen first. Alice twirling around in her short skirt, Rose adjusting a gun belt slung across her hips, and Bella was trying to cover her cleavage with nonexistent material from her corset. They looked fabulous.

Then the guys sauntered in with their boots, cowboy hats, and guns twirling on their fingers. Emmett handed me a badge to pin on his vest. "MamaEs, there's a new sheriff in this town tonight. And I plan to make sure all hands are visible all night long."

Laughing, I pinned his star and raised my brows, "And does that include you, Sheriff McCarty?"

"That would be a no ma'am. It's do as I say, not as I do." Emmett winked at me.

Shaking my head, "Let's get outside and take some pics!"

I took enough pics to fill my memory card up but it was so easy. They all got into posing and it was natural to just keep clicking. I should have known not to expect everything to go smoothly.

It was the last shot and the guys were leaning the girls back, giving them big kisses when Emmett yelled out, "Jazzy, are those jazzhands I see?"

Rose didn't appreciate him turning his attention away from her so she shoved him in the chest away from her. He was so surprised he stepped back off the deck and down he went. I continued to click. His expression was priceless. His hat had been white but it was now streaked with dirt and he brushed it against his leg trying to clean it.

Rose just huffed at him while everyone else laughed. "I was just playing, Rosie!"

Carlisle was the first to recover and started redirecting everyone to leave to go to the Halloween fundraiser party. One thing was for sure, life was never dull with this group and I loved every minute of it.

Edward's POV

As usual, Alice had kept everyone's costume a surprise. No one was more surprised than me when I caught my first sight of Bella in a corset. Holy Hell! I was in trouble if I had to stare at her all night. I was going to make a fool of myself – either slobbering, a blithering idiot, or both.

The pictures were a mixture of Heaven and Hell. It was fun and Bella relaxed enough to really get into the poses. I wasn't sure how much more I could take before I embarrassed myself in front of my mom.

Rose had brought out some rope and made the guys get on the floor like the girls had captured us. They posed over us kissing the smoking barrel of their guns. Bella, that sneak, took it one step further and stepped between my legs since my hands were supposed to be tied and put her foot on my groin. And pressed. And ran the high heel across my hips with just enough pressure to leave no doubt she was doing it on purpose.

As I started to harden, she moved her foot up and down my length. It took every ounce of my control not to moan out loud. Looking up at her eyes, she had the sexiest smile. I took several deep breaths trying to calm down and not tackle her in front of everyone.

"Next- how about you guys do a big dip and kiss?" Mom called out.

Dropping the ropes from my wrist, I thought that was the best idea I had ever heard. Grabbing Bella, I pulled her down on my lap, then leaned her back over my legs and did a cheesy kiss for the camera.

Leaning in close to her ear, I whispered. "Payback, baby. Payback." I felt her shiver in my arms at the same time I heard Emmett yell. Luckily, Emmett took any attention away from me and I was able to regain a semblance of composure due to laughing at him.

Her eyes got wide before she responded, "I'm counting on it." She then stood up and walked to the door with a little extra swing in her step.

"Can we skip the party and just you and I go out somewhere?" I heard myself asking.

She just laughed at me as she shook her head. "I've worked too hard on this party to not at least show up, but I promise I will make the wait worth it."

I grinned, "Got it, party first." It was my personal mission to make sure it was the shortest attendance in the history of the school.

~~*BOF*~~

I failed. I failed my mission. I looked at my watch and we had been there for almost two hours. Sighing, I leaned back against the wall, propped my foot up and crossed my arms over my chest. I was past the point of ready to get the hell out of there.

"Edward, you need to unwind, man. You are getting ready to explode, no pun intended." Jasper decided it was time to give me his opinion.

"Shut up. I don't see you in any better shape since you are here beside me and not off with your girlfriend."

"Are you telling me you want me to go get your sister, and head out?"

Shaking my head at the person I called my best friend. "Do you really have to say that stuff to me, fuckwad?"

Jasper just laughed. Mimicking my pose on the wall, he started talking. "Seriously, man, you need to chill out a little or you are going to scare her away."

My heart fell. That feeling when you are on a roller coaster at the top, then all of a sudden your stomach still is but the rest of your body was careening down the slope. That feeling was happening with my heart. Was I moving to fast? Was I too serious? Shit, had she said something to Alice?

Wait, she was the one that put my hand in her pants last weekend. Not that I was complaining. Smiling, I closed my eyes and could still remember the feel of how hot and wet she was and the way she moved against my hand. Damn, Edward, focus here.

FOCUS. Scaring Bella away.

I swore I was starting to hyperventilate. Feeling Jasper's hand on my shoulder, I turned to look at him. "Calm down, E. Everything's alright. I meant tonight. You two both seem a little tense, if you know what I mean."

My world slowly righted and I glanced around the room looking for Bella. Her eyes met mine like she was drawn to my stare. I saw the question in her eyes and I smiled and nodded. She returned it, but there was a new light of determination in her eyes now.

"See, that's what I mean. You two need to head outside a little while. Just wrap it up, I'm not ready to be an uncle." Jasper grinned as he talked to me. Then his comment registered.

Punching his arm, I smirked. "Seems to me you'd have to be a brother in law before you were an uncle. Besides, that outcome isn't possible right now." I let the words slip out without really thinking them through. "Let's just change the subject, alright?"

Emmett came over before he could reply and I was relieved. "I am ready to blow this popsicle stand. How much longer do we have?"

"Too long." Jasper and I answered at the same time.

It seemed forever before the girls came back to us. But as soon as Bella's hand was in mine, I was saying goodbye and heading out the door.

"Where's the fire, E?" She laughed at my hurry.

We had reached my car and I pulled her against it, pushing my body into hers and wrapping my arms around her. God, even that little bit of friction helped. I couldn't stop from rocking my hips into her, letting her feel the erection that had never really gone away.

"You can ask me that after that stunt you pulled earlier with your foot?" Leaning my head to the side, I kissed her neck, nibbling on her bare collarbone. I was getting harder with every move I made and I needed to know now if she wanted to stop. "I need you, Bella. I want to be close to you. I want to touch you. Nothing new, and if you aren't comfortable, I just need to know." I felt like a bumbling, anxious seventeen year old. Wait, that was exactly what I was. Now I was responding to myself.

She took my face in her hands. "It's ok, Edward. Let's go somewhere, it's just us. I want to be close to you too." Seeing her blush, reminded me this was Bella, the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my li- Oh, Holy Hell…

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Leave me some love! CC


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